Portland Japanese Garden

by Lynn Geis

Emerging from the Nagasaki train station on a sunny morning in early July, I was surprised and delighted to see a row of limber bamboo branches arranged in front of the station, each one festooned with colorful strips of paper and paper ornaments which fluttered in the breeze. What was this about? A shopkeeper answered, “Tanabata!” I soon learned about the old legend that inspired this charming display.

Mukashi, mukashi (long, long ago) in the celestial world, Shokujo the Weaver Princess (visible to us as the star Vega) wove enchanted cloth for the garments of her father, the king. One day while walking along the banks of the Amanogawa (The Heavenly River or Milky Way), she met Kengyū, a handsome cowherd (the star Altair). They fell passionately in love and the king consented to their marriage in order to please his daughter. When the happy bride began neglecting her weaving, the selfish king became angry and sent Kengyū to the opposite side of the river, after which he permitted them to meet only once a year. It is on July seventh that the two stars are close enough for the annual lovers’ tryst. Magpies help them by creating a bridge across the Heavenly River with their wings. Sadly, a cloudy sky on July seventh keeps them from meeting, and rain symbolizes the tears they shed knowing they must wait another year to be together. In the happy years when they are able to meet they have the power to grant wishes.

School children—and grownups with a romantic nature—write wishes on strips of paper and make other bright paper decorations to hang on bamboo poles to attract the attention of Shokujo and Kengyū. Tanabata bamboo poles are placed in front of schools, some homes, and many businesses. Maybe the bending Tanabata bamboo poles symbolize the bridge.

My friend Miki says that Tanabata is primarily a festival for children, but grownups like to get in the act too. She tells me it is common to hang out lots of lanterns, and in Kyōto she has seen masses of Christmas lights used to create a convincing Milky Way. Some big department stores have huge bamboo groves and provide strips of paper for customers to write their wishes on. A few cities have developed major Tanabata festivals with parades, music and dancing, and dramatizations of the legend. Of course, there are booths selling food and trinkets that seem poised to spring to the sidewalk at the drop of a handkerchief—or an origami crane!

Lynn Geis writes monthly articles on Japanese culture and crafts for Yuuyake Shimbun, a newspaper published in Portland, Oregon by Pacific Rim Publications. Please write to kcobb@japanesegarden.com for information regarding reprint rights. © 2006