"Kigurumi" as a hobby

Kigurumi (着ぐるみ) is a term for masked full body costuming in Japan.  Costumes range from animals to "giant" robots to cartoon characters.  Most people are familiar with kigurumi through performers at major theme parks such as a full Mickey Mouse costume at Disney World.  In Japan there are hobbyists who perform kigurumi for fun at costuming and related events such as Wonder Festival in Chiba.  Held twice a year, Wonder Festival is Japan's largest amateur figurine & sculpting convention.  With the focus of the event being on amateur craftsmanship, costuming has become a growing side feature of the convention.  Animegao (アニメ顔), literally animation face, is a subset of kigurumi where full body costumes of Japanese animation and game characters are worn, although the term animegao is not preferred by the performers themselves.  Note performer is used, not costumer.  This is because, like the Mickey Mouse performer at Disney World, amateur performers dressed as anime characters never speak when in costume and act the part of their character through exaggerated body movements when engaged by a spectator.  Most costumes are of female characters and the majority of people involved in the hobby are men.  But I saw two kigurumi costumers with their masks off who were women while at Wonder Festival.  Those men who I have talked to, despite wearing female costumes, are heterosexual and don't see the wearing of the mask as a way of cross dressing while remaining anonymous.  This is very believable since more men  openly dressed as female characters without a mask than there were those in kigurumi.  The kigurumi hobbyists viewed the costumes as being as authentic to a figurine or character as a costume can be and enjoy the performance side of it since as a man, they can bring out the desired feminine attributes of the character in only the way a male can much like a Kabuki actor.

Izanagi Okami shrine in Ryogoku

 

The deity Izanagi has been worshiped since at least the beginning of the 8th Century C.E. and gained popularity during the Edo Period.  Izanagi is a deity of fertility, rice, agriculture in general, blacksmiths, industry, and foxes and can be portrayed as a man, woman, or androgynous suggesting that the Izanagi may be a combination of several deities.  Izanagi has remained in favor in modern Japan by having a connection with business and industry.  Izanagi shrines are typically easy to identify since images of foxes are usually present.  These kitsune are messengers of Izanagi.  This positive representation of foxes intrigues me since many rural superstitions exist, particularly in northern regions,  portraying foxes as  mischievous supernatural creatures that cause all any number of problems including possession.  Even up until the 20th century families that had been labeled "fox owning" families were persecuted by their villages.

China Town

Whether it be the United States or Japan, it always amused me how a visit to a Chinese festival in China Town hardly turns up any Chinese.  Visit an event held in Yokohama China Town and you will see mostly Japanese and foreign tourists.  This even seems to hold true on Chinese New Year.  Makes one wonder just how "Chinese" China Town is.  In any case, lion dancing is always fun to watch.  Especially when the blue lion is a crowd pleaser.

Sumo Introductions, Music?

An assortment of sumo wrestler introductions at the Japanese Grand Sumo Tournament filmed on 5 February 2012.  Introductions are handled by the same people who sweep and maintain the ring in between bouts.  Each person introduces about 5 bouts and then trades out with a new introducer.

The introductions caught my eye because they are rather musical in nature.   The tones and general rhythm of each introduction follow a precise patern, but small variations can be heard amongst each individual.  Most examples of traditional Japanese music place focus on the voice as the primary instrument and this often extends to forms of narration such as the Tayu of Bunraku plays, so it is not too surprising to find the voice used in such a musical manner.