Warning: Tengu appear on this mountain. ～The ship festival at Tatsuno

Date; The third Sunday in October every year
Location; 9610 Inafu, Tatsuno Town, Kamiina District, Nagano Prefecture
Access; If you’re coming from the Tokyo area, take the Azusa Limited Express from Shinjuku to Okaya (about 2.5 hours), then take the Iida Line for just under 20 minutes to Haba. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the station.
From the Osaka or Nagoya area, take the Limited Express Shinano to Shiojiri (about 2 hours), then take the Chuo Line to Okaya, transfer to the Iida Line, and get off at Haba.　By bus, take the express bus and get off at Ina Bus Terminal, then take the Iida Line from Ina City Station to Haba.

This article is based on 20th October 2024

Why a sailing ship, even though the place is in the mountains?

The Azusa Limited Express, with a transfer to a local line, takes about 3 hours

After arriving at a small station deep in the mountains, there was a festival here called “the Boat Festival.”

After walking for about 15 minutes, a small shrine finally comes into view. Then, visitors must climb a long, long flight of stairs to reach the top. But just before that, there’s a sign that catches one’s eye…

“This is mountain where ” Tengu” lives !?” A mysterious message… Yet the people who have gathered here seem to be having a good time. It’s a festival full of mysteries.

The “boat” arrives, and the festival begins

Around 1:30 in the afternoon, the “boat” finally arrives at the square. The people carrying it spin it round and round, and

While the crowd was making a commotion over the ship’s arrival, a lion—and even a tengu—suddenly appeared from inside the ship. This is No.1 Tengu.

Tengu make strange “Ho-ho” sounds, wrestle with the lion, and roll around among the crowd. That’s right—this tengu doesn’t walk; instead, it runs on all fours and rolls around.

The Mountain Where Tengu Run Amok

Just as one wonders, “Did the tengu disappear somewhere?”, it suddenly appears from the top of the mountain. It’s the second tengu making its entrance.

“Oh, I found something.” If children aren’t careful, they’ll get caught by a tengu. Will the kids be thrilled? No.
Come to think of it, they say that tengu run around barefoot without ever getting hurt. Is this another feat of their supernatural powers?

The Last Tengu Flys Out

And finally, the last tengu leaped out of the “boat.” They say the tengu become more and more aggressive as they emerge, in the order they appear.

One moment the tengu was at the temple, and the next he was dashing around the mountaintop,

or tumbling down the mountainside. It’s a muddy struggle.

Ending

Once the commotion caused by the tengu subsides, people begin to gather around the lion. Then, the lion takes a big bite out of its head…

It’s a strange festival to have a boat appear in the mountains, but there’s a legend behind it. The lions were outsiders who demanded to be allowed to live in this land. The tengu were the ones who dealt with them. It is said that an agreement was reached during the third round of negotiations, and the lions came to dwell in this land. Hearing this, many people are reminded of the Izumo myth. In that myth, a messenger from Amaterasu visits Okuninushi to demand that he cede his land; after three rounds of negotiations, Okuninushi finally agrees, and Amaterasu gains possession of the land.
https://discoverdeeperjapan.com/reference/japan-mythorogy/okuninushi-hnded-over-his-own-country-to-amaterasukuni-yuzuri-%e5%9b%bd%e8%ad%b2%e3%82%8a/
Simply put, it’s a memory of invasion by a powerful force. Perhaps something similar happened in this land in the past. I don’t know any specific details. Memories of certain things linger on like this in people’s minds forever.

Just past 3:00 p.m., the chaos and commotion subsided, and the mountain regained its usual tranquility. At the foot of the shrine, a pair of deities, praying for the people’s peace and well-being, watched us leave.

Tatsuno town https://www.town.tatsuno.lg.jp/gyosei/soshiki/sangyoshinkoka/kankosite/4/1144.html