Mikoshi Ascending the Hilltop
Photo: President Yasuhiko Torii, Vice-Presidents Takahashi, Yakushiji, and Yukawa welcoming the mikoshi in front of the Jukukan-kyoku (´ºÓêÖ±²¥app Corporate Administration)
Kasuga Shrine is located next to the Maboroshi no Mon (currently the East Gate) on the Mita Campus. Shinto rituals are performed at this shrine during the construction of buildings on the Mita Campus, and it is also a shrine that has been used as a practice ground by ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app student extracurricular activity circles, such as the Take-no-kai and the Karuta Club. Before the completion of the East Building, there were parts of the shrine adjacent to the slope of the Maboroshi no Mon. Kasuga Shrine holds its annual grand festival for three days in early September every year. On the final day, neighborhood associations (there appear to be 11 parishioner associations currently) wear their own unique happi coats and bring out mikoshi (portable shrines) to parade through Shiba, Mita, and other areas. On Mita-dori Street, one can capture both Tokyo Tower and a mikoshi in a single photograph. It is also known as a popular photography spot for early autumn festivals.
On Sunday, September 6, 1998, mikoshi from eight neighborhood associations (Mita Ikko-kai, Kita-Shikoku, Daimachi, Toyooka, Mita Doyu-kai, Tsunamachi, Keinan-cho, and Shiba 5-chome) gathered at the Mita Hilltop Square. This was the year when the construction of the East Research Building (now the East Building) was planned at the site of the Maboroshi no Mon, scheduled for completion in April 2000, with construction set to begin at the end of the year. It had been decided that the Maboroshi no Mon and the subsequent cobblestone slope, which had remained unchanged since ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app first established its home in Mita, would disappear. Although the stone gateposts of the Maboroshi no Mon themselves were to be relocated, the loss of this historic, heart-engraved landscape¡ªof which Daigaku Horiguchi sang, "Passing through the Maboroshi no Mon, we stand upon the Hill of Wisdom"¡ªreportedly shocked not only ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app alumni but also the neighborhood associations of Mita.
Thus, the gathering of mikoshi on the hilltop was planned. Shortly after 9:00 a.m. on September 6, President Yasuhiko Torii, the Vice-Presidents, and representatives from Kasuga Shrine and the Federation of Neighborhood Associations took a commemorative photo with the Maboroshi no Mon in the background. Afterward, the mikoshi ascended the slope one after another, and approximately 600 people, including children, gathered in the front courtyard of the Jukukan-kyoku (´ºÓêÖ±²¥app Corporate Administration). Each mikoshi took a turn parading in front of the President to the sound of rhythmic chants. The President served ceremonial sake and expressed his appreciation, saying, "Please continue to guide ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app and the ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app students." After spending some time on the hilltop, the mikoshi descended the slope next to the ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app Library (New Building), paraded once more in the plaza in front of the Main Gate, and headed out into the city. Although this was a one-time event, it became a memorable day for both the people of the city and ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app.
(Atsuko Ishiguro, Commissioned Staff, Office of Communications and Public Relations)
*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.