東日本大震災１周年の３月11日、仙台凧の会主催、仙台YMCA・３Ysクラブの協力で「全国（世界）同時復興・慰霊凧あげ」を実施しました。
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| 見にくいのですが、仙台凧の会の方が作った100連凧です |
世界各地で東日本大震災・津波災害の1周年にあわせて、犠牲者の慰霊と被災地の復興を祈念する目的で同時に行なわれた凧あげに参加したものです。仙台は午後から雪の予報でしたが、会場となった広瀬川の河川敷は東よりの風がふく絶好の凧あげ日和となりました。
まず、12時30分から凧の会の方々が準備して下さった白い凧を挙げました。白凧は古くから不幸があった家であげ、わざと糸を切って厄払いをする風習があったそうで、今でも無地の凧を揚げることが嫌われるのは、そういう背景があるとのこと。この日は糸を切りませんでしたが、大津波の犠牲になった方々のために静かに祈りながら凧をあげました。
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| 「GDPあがれ！」と洒落っ気たっぷりの景気凧 |
続いて1時からは参加者にカラフルな凧が配られ、凧の会の方々のご指導で自由に凧あげを楽しみました。今度は復興に向けての希望を祈る凧あげです。順風に空高くあがる凧を目で追いながら、風の強弱や自分の凧のクセを糸の出し入れで上手に操ろうと、大人も子どもも一心に空を見上げます。空高くあがるカラフルな凧に集中していると、なぜか自然に笑顔になってしまいます。曇った寒空にあがっていた白い凧がカラフルな凧に取って代わられると、天も祈りを感じてか薄日が射してきました。
46分には一旦凧を納めて海の方に向かって心を合わせて黙祷を捧げた後、凧をおみやげに家路につきました。
追伸、空が背景なので露出オーバー気味になるのと、デジカメではピントが合わせられず、凧の写真を撮るのは素人にはかなり困難だと思い知らされました。
On March 11, we flew kites in the early spring sky of Sendai to pray for the tsunami victims, also for the hope for the survivors’ future.
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| 100 little kites on a line making an arch like rainbow |
On the
first anniversary of the March 11 disaster, Sendai YMCA joined with many other
YMCAs and other organizations world wide to fly kites in memory of those who
have lost their lives a year ago, also in prayers for the hopeful future of the
disaster struck people in Tohoku. This event was hosted by Sendai Kite Club
with cooperation of Sendai YMCA and its 3 Y’s Men & Women’s Clubs (support
clubs of the local YMCA).
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| Message of this kite is "GDP will go up!" |
In many
communities in Japan, it's been a tradition that a white (plain) kite was flown to announce a death in
family, then intentionally cut loose in prayer of letting the evil go from the
family. That is the reason people do not fly white kites: they paint or use
colorful material but never white. At 12:30 p.m., the white kites were handed out by
the Kite Club members to those gathered, then flown in silent prayers for those
who lost their lives in the devastating tsunami last year.
Then at
1:00 p.m., colorful kites were handed out to children and families gathered,
many brought their hand made kites as well, and all the colorful kites filled
the March sky in prayers for hopes. Members of the Kite Club brought variety of
kites: for examples, long kites of 100 little kites of rainbow color made a huge arch in the
sky, while a big “GDP” kite sending a message “the economy goes up!”
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| Volunteers organized the "Kite of Hope" event |
Flying
kite is such a simple play, but when many fly them together in prayer, they
send a bold message in the sky. At 2:46 p.m. when the earthquake hit Tohoku, little
over 100 people gathered all brought their kites in and joined hearts in silent
prayers for the victims.
It
was a very meaningful tribute to the lost lives, also a promise of hopes for
continuous recovery and rebuilding of lost communities.
P.s My apology for particularly poor quality photos this time: it's really hard to take pictures of kites in the sky with bright background and impossible to focus with a tiny digital camera!
