Tara, Saga

Template:Infobox City Japan Tara (太良町, Tara-chō) is a town and peninsula located in Fujitsu District, Saga, Japan.

Geography

File:Tara areal view.jpg

Aerial view of Tara section

Tara is bordered by Isahaya, Ōmura, Kashima and the Ariake Sea. On a clear day, it is possible to see the mountains across the sea. Tara includes Mount Tara, which is one of the highest mountains in Kyūshū and part of the Tara mountains. Tara is comprised of two sections, which were once independent towns: Tara (多良) and Ōura (大浦). Tara is located quite close to the Kashima Gatalympics, which takes place near Hizen-Iida station.

Aerial view of Ōura bay

Ōura harbor is the main port of entry via sea.

Significant locations

Famous, tourist, and historic sites of note include:

File:Takezaki castle.jpg

Takezaki castle observatory

• Kinsenji (temple); once had influence on shrines throughout kyushu.
• Takezaki Kanze Onji (temple)
• Tara Takezaki onsen; one of the few sources of tourism in modern times
• Shirahama beach; small and littered with sharp shells, yet facilities exist and a sea-center is close by with recreational activities such as jet-skiing
• Kenkou no Mori Park ("forest of health"); a fairly large park in the middle of the mountains
• Camp Nakayama; Camping ground with cabins (open for a short period each year) and a trail to Mount Tara
• Mount Tara 多良岳 (tara dake) and the Tara mountains; Mount Tara is one of the tallest mountains in Kyūshū
• Mount Kyoga 経ヶ岳 (kyoga take) taller than mount Tara, making it the tallest in the prefecture. It is more readily accessable from Kashima or Ōmura, though a ridgeline exists between it and mount Tara that hikers often use.
• Takezaki Castle Ruins; degraded into not much more than a wall, its purpose was once to be a lookout for invasions from Nagasaki
• Takezaki Castle Observatory; a re-creation of the original Takezaki Castle, this tall structure is at the edge of the peninsula overlooking the sea
• Lighthouse Ruins; reduced to a memorial stone

History

• May 1, 1889 - the boundaries of the villages known as Tara, Ōura, and Nanaura were established.
• February 11, 1955 - Tara and Ōura became one town, Tara-chō.
• March 1, 1955 - a section of Nanaura was absorbed into Tara-chō.

Culture

Tara boasts a rich history. Due to influence from Nagasaki, Christianity was in the area early on, but after the results of the Shimabara Rebellion, most of them went underground and became Kakure Kirishitans. The only evidence of this secretive group is grave stones that were scattered throughout Tara. Many of them remain to this day. Modern Tara is much like the rest of the Japan, with a lot of Buddhist and Shinto influence and accompanying temples and shrines. However, hardly anyone is very religious, much like the Japanese standard.

Legends

• Local legend has it that a force from the south once tried to invade Tara. The villagers wore demon masks to scare the intruders, and won the skirmish.

• Another local legend originating in the 9th century is that of a handsome warrior-monk, Takeno Shintaro, who's looks so charmed the ladies that they sang a song whenever he came down from the mountains. The lyrics of the song ask for him to fall and break his leg so that he would have to stay among the women. Women could not go into the mountains at that time in history because of the mountains' sacred nature. The mountains themselves were worshiped as the realm of gods (at this time the local belief was that gods were another step along a buddha's progression), and the temple at Mount Tara, Kinsen-ji, had authority over more than 70 shrines in Kyūshū. However, under the Meiji restoration, the god-buddha connection became taboo and today Kinsen-ji lies in disrepair. During 1780, a song named "Zanza-bushi" spread through Japan. Saga people adapted the melody and used it to recreate the song "Takeno Shintaro-san".

   When Shintaro comes down,
   Let us light a thousand lanterns along the way.
   He's so handsome and charming!

   When Shintaro goes back,
   Let us make his way slippery with water.
   He's too handsome to be set free!

--1st and 2nd stanza.

• There is a legend about the origins of the Doro Mochi Tsuki festival (see festivals section below). In the legend, set about 200 years ago, the village was poor. On occasion of the village elder being away on a pilgrimage, the town's people all had the same dream. In the mysterious dream, an itinerant monk came to the village as they were discussing how to pray for rain and in hunger stole some mochi. The villagers blamed him and killed him. Out of regret, they buried him. Rain fell upon the place where he was buried. The villagers believed the rain was due to the monk, and offered mochi to him, thus starting the traditional festival.

Festivals and religious occasions

There are many festivals in Tara, some with history spanning back hundreds of years. These are listed below, in order of date.

• January 2 - January 3, Takezaki Kanzeon Shuusei Kai Oni Matsuri (竹崎観世音修正会鬼祭) (lit. Takezaki Avalokitesvara revision meeting oni festival): A hadaka matsuri at Takezaki Kanzeon temple wherein men dressed in loincloths try to stop a man dressed as an Oni, who carries a box. The men then pull at the oni and shred the red kimono the Oni wears. There is also a dance by boys in costumes.

• January 8, Ochiyōzu no Matoiri (御手水の的射り)(lit. archery of Ochiyōzu): This matsuri is an archery event in Ochiyōzu district in which the participants wield bows and arrows made out of green bamboo. Words like "east", "west", "south", "north" and "oni" are written on the targets. 33,333 arrows are said to be shot metaphorically, though the actual number is much less. 3 is a number that carries connotations of innocent omens in the festival, ergo the figure.

• Mid January, Enzaza matsuri (円座祭) (lit. straw mat festival): A children's festival at Takezaki Kanzeon temple in which they take round straw mats and pierce them with long spears. Then they take the luck of the new year upon themselves and make wishes.

• January 14, Mogura Uchi (もぐら打ち) (lit. mole hit (or whack-a-mole)): A children’s festival in which they go around carrying sticks with straw wrapped around the end. They chant, "Tonae gen (唱え言)!", a ritual saying, as they strike the ground in unison. This drives away bad luck, and invites fortune. This type of festival happens in other places in Japan.

• April 1, Shirogitsune odori (白狐踊り) (lit. white [spiritual] fox dance): In order to honor their ancestors, the people dress as white foxes and perform a synchronized dance.

• Mid May, Nagure Kanjyou (流れ灌頂) (lit. stream pour recieve): A Buddhist ceremony in Takezaki Kanzeon temple and around the coast that appeases the force in charge of the catch, and prays for a safe fishing season. During the ceremony a monk travels along the coast, ringing gongs and beating drums, while chanting a sutra in honor of a bodhi ancestor that is interred at Takezaki Kanzeon temple. This ceremony is more than 400 years old.

• Last Sunday of July, Tara-chō Nōryo Natsu Matsuri (太良町納涼夏まつり) (lit. Tara-town [enjoy the] cool of the evening festival): at night the town gathers on Michikoshi beach and dances, O-bon-style, in a giant ring. Many people wear yukatas. There are also fireworks. This is a relatively new festival, but arguably the biggest in Tara. Many events happen at the same time, and traditional matsuri stands are set up, allowing access to festival foods and games.

• 2nd Saturday and Sunday of September, Tara-dake Jinja Aki Matsuri (多良岳神社秋祭) (lit. Mount Tara Temple Fall Festival): At Tara-dake Shrine and throughout Tara for a few weeks time people give thanks for (and for ensuring for the prosperity of another) big harvest. People excitedly dance around in black outfits and wear oni masks. They also carry drums and cymbals, and beat taiko drums. This is said to be the oldest of Tara's festivals and traditions.

• September 22, Doro mochi tsuki (泥餅つき) (lit. mud mochi sticky): a muddy, mochi-pounding festival at Itoki Kabuta, in which men stripped to their boxers battle each other on a slippery mud field of red-clay while pounding mochi (see above for origins of this matsuri). The muddy mochi made in the event is then offered on a plate to a statue of Yakushi Nyorai.

Other Events

• January 4, Shinjun marason taikai (新春マラソン大会) (lit. new year marathon contest): To celebrate the return of spring, runners from Tara and other places gather in front of Tara elementary schooland run a marathon.

• July 10: Shirahama beach officially opens.

• July 21: Camp Nakayama opens to the public.

• End of July through the beginning of August, Zen-nihon kabuto mushi sumo dai kai (全日本カブト虫相撲大会) (lit. All-Japan rhinoceros beetle sumo contest). Held in Tagori, kids come from all over Japan to have their pet beetles fight in little rings on the tops of logs. The beetle that falls of the log loses.

Discontinued Festivals and traditions

Some festivals have recently stopped being performed, or are rarely observed anymore. Among them are: the cucumber festival, in which cucumbers were piled in hopes of blessings such as safety and babies, and the demon fires events, in which large bonfires were made.

Industry

File:のり養殖.jpg

Seaweed-gathering nets in the Ariake sea

Tara was once a thriving tourist destination, but as Japan's economy has slowed down, so has Tara's. Most young people relocate to the larger cities when they become adults. Tara is on a main railroad line (see transportation below), and benefits somewhat from the tourism this brings. As a result, many people in Tara are opposed to new train lines that would make commerce through Tara all but obsolete.

It is regionally famous for its crabs (of the wanigani variety), mikans, and oysters, the latter of which is in season during the winter. During oyster (or kaki) season, it is common for people to come from surrounding prefectures and enjoy grilled kaki. Many restaurants have special, bare-bones plastic and wood sections that are only open during this season. Most of such business happens on the weekends, and this is also a good business time for the local farmer's market.

Other industry in Tara includes animal husbandry, especially chicken farms, and forestry. But Tara's most profitable industry probably lies in the surrounding sea. Besides fishing and marine life, Tara boasts thousands of nori collecting poles and nets.

Education

Tara has one prefectural highschool, Tara High School (佐賀県立太良高等学校), and two junior high schools. There are also two elementary schools and scattered kindergartens.

Transportation

Most travelers come to Tara by National Route 207 or via the Nagasaki Main Line, operated by JR Kyushu.

Stations

Tara is serviced by the JR Kyushu railroad company. It has two stations and one switchbox.

• Nagasaki Main Line
  • Tara Station
  • Ōura Station

Air

The closest airport is Saga Airport, followed by one in Nagasaki. Most travelers go to Fukuoka Airport for travel abroad.

Roads

National Route 207 runs through the length of the town, and is the only road to Nagasaki Prefecture. The mountains are seeded with small roads, many of them one lane and unpaved. A road leads from camp Nakayama towards Kashima and Ureshino.

Sea

While fishing is a huge industry, there is no known sea travel, nor are there ferries available.

Language

While standard Japanese is spoken and understood in the area, especially in schools, the locals speak in thick accents with local dialects. Many in the younger generation speak dialects when young, but gradually grow out of the habit to the point where they may not understand older people. The main dialect is Saga-ben, which is further broken down into Tara-ben and Ōura-ben. Some examples of speech include:

"dōgan", or the even older and more rustic "dōgyan"; approximately equivilent to standard Japanese's "dō" (how).

Extremely common words that end in "re" have "re" replaced by "i". For instance, "kore" = "koi", "ore" = "oi" etc.

"Kyu kyan ba" means "I have to eat it today"

"Soigi ne" (in the Tara quarter) and "Aigi ne" (in Ōura) are the local equivalent to "ja ne", or in English "see you later". "Soigi" is generally substituted where standard Japanese's "ja" or "de wa" would be.

External Links

• Tara-chō home page (Japanese)
• Exploring the Tara mountains A guide to various hiking and rock-climing routes in the area.
• Guide to Tara Festivals (Japanese) A summary of major Tara festivals and dates.
• Event info (Japanese) A summary of Town Activities