Moon Phase Religious Associations

 

     In Japan, associations were organized to religiously appreciate the specific phase of the moon.  Religiously popular phases were, the thirteenth night, the fourteenth night, the fifteenth night (the full moon night), the sixteenth night, the seventeenth night, the eighteenth night, the nineteenth night, the twentieth night, the twenty-first night, the twenty-second night, and the twenty-third night.  Their participants ate and drank together, chanted a sutra or a prayer to the Buddha, prayed to the moon, and drove away evil spirits.  Some associations built stone monuments.  The oldest example of those associations was recorded in Muromachi Period (1336-1573), and the oldest itabi dates back to 1441.

     Such associations survive only in a few areas, but we can find many stone monuments built by the associations.

     The thirteenth-night stone monuments were built especially to celebrate the moon on September 13th night.  They were either inscribed with the letters for the Thirteenth Night, or carved Akasagarbha.

     A few stone monuments were built by the associations for the fourteenth night.  The monuments are only inscribed with the letters for the Fourteenth Night.  Those associations along the middle reaches of the Tone River offered dumplings to the moon.

     The fifteenth-night stone monuments were built by the associations for the fifteenth night, especially celebrating the moon on August 15th night.  When they built stone monuments with a Buddhist image, they often carved Mahavairocana, Amitabha, Bhaisajyaguru, Avalokitesvara, Ksitigarbha, or Akasagarbha.   

     The associations for the sixteenth night were mainly organized in the northern part of the Kanto Region: Shimotsuke, Kozuke, and Hitachi Provinces.  When they built stone monuments with a Buddhist image, they often carved Mahavairocana, Amitabha, Arya Avalokitesvara, Cintamanicakra or Ksitigarbha.

     The associations for the seventeenth night were mainly organized in Ibaragi, Niigata, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Hyogo, Yamaguchi, Ehime, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Prefectures.  Some especially celebrated the night of August 17th.

     Many of the associations for the eighteenth night were organized in the Tohoku Region.  They especially celebrated the 18th nights of January, May, September, and November.  Most of their stone monuments were inscribed with the letters for the Eighteenth Night.

     Most of the associations for the nineteenth night were organized by women.  We can find stone monuments inscribed or carved Cintamanicakra in Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaragi, Tochigi, Ginma, Saitama, and Chiba Prefectures.  In Tochigi Prefecture, some Jukyuya-sama, namely Lord Nineteenth Night, were built to protect and guard women.

     The associations for the twentieth night were organized mainly in Miyagi, Ibaragi, Tochigi, and Chiba Prefectures.  When they built stone monuments with a Buddhist image, they often carved Amitabha, Arya Avalokitesvara, Cintamanicakra, Mahasthamaprapta, or Ksitigarbha.   

     Most of the associations for the twenty-first night were organized by women in the northern part of Gunma Prefecture.  A few can be found in Chiba and Tokyo Prefectures.  When they built a stone monument with a Buddhist image, they often carved Cintamanicakra.

     Most of the associations for the twenty-second night were organized by women in Gunma and Saitama Prefectures.  When they built stone monuments, they either inscribed the letters for the Twenty-second Night or carved Cintamanicakra.  A few of the stone monuments can be found in Miyagi, Fukushima, Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, and Aichi Prefectures.

     The associations for the twenty-third night were organized in all parts of Japan.  When they built stone monuments, they either inscribed the letters for Twenty-third Night or Just for Third Night, or carved Mahasthamaprapta.  A few monuments were inscribed Candra, who is one of the 12 guardians of deva; Indra, Agni, Yama, Raksasa, Varuna, Vayu, Vaisravana, Isana, Brahma, Prthivi, Surya, and Candra.  In some areas, they especially celebrated the 23rd nights of January, May, September, and November.

     The associations for the twenty-sixth night were organized in the Kanto and Tohoku Regions.  When they built stone monuments, they either inscribed the letters for Twenty-sixth Night or carved Ragaraja.  In some areas, they especially celebrated the 26th nights of January and July.  In Edo, Amitabha, Avalokitesvara, and Mahasthamaprapta were believed to appear in the moonlight on July 26th.

     A few stone monuments were built to celebrate the nights from the 17th to the 23rd.  They believed Thousand-Armed Sahasrabhuja to be the deity of the 17th night, Arya Avalokiteshvara the 18th night, Horse-Headed Hayagriva the 19th, Eleven-Faced Ekadasamukha the 20th night, Cundi the 21st night, Cintamanicakra the 22nd night, and Mahasthamaprapta the 23rd night.

     While itabi were built as graves of individual samurai in Kamakura Period (1185-1333), the  moon-related itabi were built by associations, or by plural ordinary people.