Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival
Special | 14mVideo has Closed Captions
Take an in-depth look at the end of Sominsai, a unique cultural festival in Japan.
This year saw the end of Sominsai, a unique festival in which loinclothed men plunge into freezing water, are enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to grasp a lucky sack as a form of prayer to the Buddha for a bountiful harvest and plentiful health.
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Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival is presented by your local public television station.
Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival
Special | 14mVideo has Closed Captions
This year saw the end of Sominsai, a unique festival in which loinclothed men plunge into freezing water, are enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to grasp a lucky sack as a form of prayer to the Buddha for a bountiful harvest and plentiful health.
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How to Watch Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival
Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
>>> IWATE PREFECTURE.
IN JAPAN'S NORTHEAST.
THE REGION IS KNOWN FOR ITS FREEZING WINTERS BUT FEBRUARY IS THE MONTH FOR A FESTIVAL SET TO DATE BACK OVER 1,000 YEARS.
THE FESTIVAL BEGINS WITH NEAR-NAKED MEN ENTERING A FREEZING RIVER TO PURIFY BODY AND SOUL.
IT IS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER PURIFICATION RITUAL.
THIS TIME, BY FIRE.
PUSHING THEMSELVES TO THE LIMIT, THEY PRAYED TO THE BUDDHA FOR A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST AND GOOD HEALTH.
THE CLIMAX OF THE FESTIVAL IS A BATTLE TO WIN A BAG CALLED THE SOMIN SACK THAT WILL BRING GOOD LUCK FOR THE COMING YEAR.
CLAD ONLY IN LOIN CLOTHS, THE MEN TRIED TO GIVE THEIR ALL TO GRASP THE LUCKY SACK.
BUT IN DECEMBER OF 2023, IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT THE NEXT FESTIVAL WOULD BE THE LAST.
THE NEWS WAS MET WITH MIXED FEELINGS.
>> WHY DOES THE FESTIVAL HAVE TO END?
>> WE EXPLORE THE MEANING BEHIND THE PURIFICATION RITUALS AS THE CURTAIN FALLS ON THIS 1,000-YEAR OLD FESTIVAL.
THE FESTIVAL TAKES PLACE AT KOKUSEKIJI, AND ANCIENT TEMPLE.
>> ABOUT 60 PEOPLE, MOSTLY LOCALS, BELONG TO THE PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION OF THE TEMPLE.
MANY OF THEM HAVE TAKEN PART IN THE BATTLE FOR THE SOMIN SACK.
THEY ARE ALSO IN CHARGE OF FESTIVAL PREPARATIONS.
THEY BUILD SHELTERS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS TO REST, ALONG WITH A MAKESHIFT CAFETERIA.
THE GROUP PLAYS AN INTEGRAL ROLE.
THE FESTIVAL WAS SUSPENDED DURING THE PANDEMIC, SO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS IT'S BEAN HELD AT A LARGE SCALE.
>> WHY DOES THE FESTIVAL DEMAND SO MUCH FROM ITS PARTICIPANTS?
>> THE YAKUSHI NYORAI HAS TAKEN ON EXTREME CHALLENGES AND PUSHING THEMSELVES TO THE LIMIT, THEY PURIFY BODY AND SOUL TO PRAY TO THE YAKUSHI NYORAI.
IT IS THIS DESIRE THAT DRIVES THE 1,000-YEAR OLD FESTIVAL.
>> FIVE YEARS AGO, I TOOK PART IN THE SOMINSAI.
IT WAS A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE.
AS I DONNED THE LOINCLOTH, I BRACED MYSELF FOR WHAT WAS TO COME.
THE PURIFICATION RITUALS BEGAN WITH SAKE.
WITH NAKED PRAYER, THE ALL-NIGHT FESTIVAL GOT ROLLING.
THIS YEAR, THERE WERE 200 PARTICIPANTS FROM AROUND JAPAN.
THE MOST WERE LOCALS.
IT WAS -8 DEGREES CELSIUS.
WE SHOUTED TO MAINTAIN OUR COURAGE.
>> I WAS NOT ME.
I WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE.
>> ALONE, HUMANS ARE WEAK CREATURES.
IT IS WHEN WE GET TOGETHER THAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS.
>> I CANNOT BREATHE.
THAT WAS A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE.
THE SOMIN SACK WAS BROUGHT OUT IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
THE BATTLE WAS ON TO GRASP IT AND RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF THE YAKUSHI NYORAI.
INSIDE THE SOMIN SACK ARE WOODEN CHARMS CALLED KOMAGI, WHICH ARE DISTRIBUTED TO THOSE WHO GATHERED AT THE FESTIVAL TO SHARE THE BLESSINGS OF THE BUDDHA.
THE STRUGGLE FOR THE SACK WENT ON FOR OVER AN HOUR.
BY THE TIME IT WAS OVER, WE WERE ALL ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE.
THE MEA LEFT HOLDING ONTO THE SOMIN SACK UNTIL THE VERY END IS DECLARED THE WINNER.
THE FAMILY WILL RECEIVE AN EVEN GREATER BLESSING AND ENJOY A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST IN GOOD HEALTH.
>> I REMEMBERED BEFORE I WAS BORN.
I FELT LIKE A SPERM.
[ LAUGHTER ] >> STANDING BARE SHOULDER TO BARE SHOULDER THROUGH DISASTER, A COMMON PRAYER WAS SHARED.
IT FELT LIKE THE TRUE ESSENCE OF THE SOMINSAI.
>> FIVE YEARS AFTER I TOOK PART, THE CHIEF PRIEST OF KOKUSEKIJI DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO END THE SOMINSAI.
>> BESIDES PROVIDING FINANCIAL BACKING, THE PARISHIONERS SUPPORT THE EVERYDAY WORKINGS OF THE TEMPLE.
HELPING TO ORGANIZE EVENTS AND CEREMONIES.
KOKUSEKIJI RELIES ON THE SUPPORT OF A DOZEN OR SO PARISHIONER FAMILIES.
JAPAN'S AGING POPULATION CRISIS HAS AFFECTED THE TEMPLES DISTRICT OF KOKUSEKIJI.
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Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival is presented by your local public television station.