Name origin and cradle
Hare is usually referred to as Hari (dragon boat races) in the mass media. Even in Itoman temporary visitors call it Hari. However, Itoman’s fishermen stick with tradition and continue to call it Hare. At the first meeting of the Festival Committee in 1977, it was unanimously decided that out of respect for Itoman’s fishermen all announcers would uniformly refer to it as Hare. Since then the mass media have also come to use the term Hare.Since long ago in the Okinawan Island’s cultural sphere races between small boats have been called Hare. In a compilation about Amami Oshima’s natural features Southern Island Chitchat, compiled in the 1850s, there is a picture of a hare kogi (boat) in Itsu Village. It appears they called the racing boat hare bune.
According to the Okinawa Board of Education Culture Section’s Bulletin #1 Life and Festivals there were boat races at the Hatoma Island Prosperous Year Festival and they called the racing boats pare funi.
In the oldest dictionary of the Ryukyu language, Konkokenshu, hare is explained in the following manner, “hare means to run (hashi), the shortened form of hashire (v. to run).” This shows that hare buni is an ancient Okinawan word for racing boats that is still used today.
＜The Three Villages＞
Aza Itoman came to be formed through the amalgamation of many villages. The original village was Nishimura, Shindakari in the local dialect, and is today the Western district and the Uenohira district. Then offsprings of this village developed, first Nakamura, Mendakari in the local dialect, which is present day Machibata, and then came Mijima, which is now known as Mijima, Shinyashiki, Migawa, Mebata, and Minami. Hare is a festival that respects its ancient traditions. In the Agai Subu ceremony an ornate boat is rowed out to the middle of the port. The village’s boats then row out and do three laps around the boat ? first Nishimura, then Nakamura, then Mijima. At the traditional sake receiving ceremony at Nundunchi （the Itoman priestess's home）family home the Nishimura team receive sake first, then the Nakamura team, followed by Mijima, regardless of the order they finished in the races. This is to show respect and honor to one’s parents.
In Aza Itoman a song has been sung since long ago, it’s lyrics go like this, “ Nishimura-ya mutugi (parent), Nakamura-ya nashigwa (child), hananu Mijima-ya nmaga (grandchild) debiru.” Meaning, “Nishimura village is the parent, Nakamura village is the child, and bright Mijima is the grandchild”.
＜Wakashi Bare＞
Since long ago the Nishimura, Nakamura and Mijima villages have used the Wakashi Bare to select which boats they will use in the Hare festival. From the day the Hare bell rings to the day of the festival, the villagers inspect their many boats to pick the fastest sabani (boat) and the two best suited for racing. The two boats are then raced against each other and the fastest boat is designated to be use in the Agai Subu and the slower one in the Ugwan Bare.
This race came to be called Wakashi Bare because it separates the boats that will be used in hare from the boats that won’t. Wakashi means to separate. For all races besides Ugwan Bare and Agai Subu the boat selection panel of the Festival Committee chooses the boats.
＜Guso Bare＞
Guso is an Okinawan word meaning heaven. Legend has it that the day after Hare people who have died at sea have their own boat races. This Hare is called Guso Bare.
The legend began when long ago, on the day after Hare people heard the sounds of rowing and shouts from the ocean despite there being no sign of people out on the ocean fishing. That is, they could hear the lively shouts of Hare. Because of this, in Itoman on the day after the Hare it has become customary for no one to go out fishing. The day after Hare is a holiday for the fishermen to rest their tired muscles after rowing in Hare. From the next day they are back out on the ocean hard at work.
＜Nuru - Priestesses＞
The prayer ceremonies preformed by the priestesses are an important part of Hare. In ancient times there were no priestesses in Itoman, so a priestess from the Nanzan Castle in Ozato would be invited to come and pray.
Even now that there is a priestess in Itoman it is still customary practice for the Ozato priestess to come to pray at the Itoman Hare. In Ozato there are two priestesses - the Yamaga priestess and the Nishime priestess. It is always the Yamaga priestess that is invited to pray at the Itoman Hare.
Even today the seating position for the participants in the Santinmo and Hakugin Shrine prayer ceremonies are the same as they were in ancient times.
The festival date
June23,2012(Saturday)
June23,2012(Saturday)