昔、今宵の倉賀野は賑やかだった

　発音が倉賀野町に似てる「クロガネモチ」が私の家から見える所にあり、現在、赤い実が鈴なりです。その数、数千粒でしょう。概して、殺風景な真冬の風景の中にあって誠に情熱的な色彩です。昨年１２月上旬以来、１ヶ月以上に亘り、人間には十分に観賞されてますが、この実のすべてはいずれ野鳥の空腹を満たすのですから、自然は良く出来てます。日々、私もこの赤に力をもらってます。

　ところで、私が子供のころ、つまり、昔の倉賀野町では今宵１月１４日の晩は各地区の山車が繰り出し、街中を次々並んで行進し、町民で大賑わいでした。実は、この祭りは翌朝、烏川での「どんど焼き」の前夜祭です。この晩のメインエベントは仲町の四つ角にすべての山車が集合し、それぞれ笛太鼓や鐘を自分たちのリズムの叩き合いで対抗し、各地区が勢力を鼓舞し、当時の言葉で「しゃぎりっこ」は子供心に強い印象が残ってます。倉賀野は中山道の宿場町であったことから、これらの祭りは古き時代より続いていたと想われます。

　しかし、高崎市に合併した昭和３０年代を境に、丁度半年後の７月１４日の晩の「万灯を持った各地区の行列」など盛大だった倉賀野の祭りの殆どは廃れ、地区ごとの対抗意識は自然消滅し、今では、諏訪神社や閻魔堂の祭りが残り、そして子供の日など日中に各地区ごとに山車を引く姿が僅かに残ってます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about district's festival.

　I can see the Round Leaf Holly tree which is Kuroganemochi which sounds similar to my town named Kuragano-machi, from my house, and it is currently covered in red berries. There must be thousands of them. A truly passionate color in the bleak midwinter landscape. For over a month, since early December last year, humans have been able to enjoy the red berries, but all of these berries will eventually be eaten by wild birds due to their hunger, so nature is at its best. At the same time, I am influenced in this red every day.

　By the way, when I was a child, that is, in the old Kuragano-town, on the evening of January 14th tonight, floats from each district would be gathered and marching lined up one after another through the town, attracting great excitement from the townspeople. In fact, this festival is the eve of the Dondoyaki festival at Karasu-River the following morning. The main event of the evening is all the floats gather at the central intersection of Nakacho, competing with each other by beating drums, and flutes bells to their own rhythm, each district boast of their own rhythm, that is called "shagirikko", remains strong in my childhood mind. As Kuragano was a post town on the Nakasendo road, these festivals are thought to have been continued since ancient times, I guess.

　However, after the town was merged into Takasaki-city in the 1950s, most of the Kuragano's festivals, such as the "procession of each district carrying lanterns" on the evening of July 14th, exactly six months later, fell into disuse. The rivalry between districts naturally faded away, and now only the festivals at Suwa Shrine and Enma-do remain, along with a few scenes of each district pulling their own floats during Children's Day.