綱引きの歴史的・民俗学的研究 : 桜井市江包・大西の"お綱さん"を事例として

抄録

Today "Tug-of-War" is usually played as a game, for instance, on the sports day at schools. On the other hand, folk "Tug-of-War" have been handed down all over Japan. This study will take up "Otsunasan Festival" in Ettumi and Onishi, Sakurai City, Nara, Japan, as an example of folk "Tug-of-War". Let me describe the outline of the festival. On the 11th of February every year(formerly on the 10th of January in lunar calendar), the people of Ettumi make "Ozuna", a huge male rope, while those of Onishi make "Mezuna", a huge female rope. After walking around their own villages, they make "Ozuna" and "Mezuna" rope married. This "Otsunasan Festival" is not so-called "Tug-of-War" game, which has limited meaning and is actually played by pulling the rope from both sides. In the former studies of "Tug-of-War", this festival was considered and counted as one of "Kanjyokake" events, which are traditional events in Nara. Though the viewpoint that this festival is considered as "Kanjyokake" takes notice of "the site" itself to cross the ropes, it lacks the viewpoint of the huge "Ozuna" and "Mezuna" ropes, which are the most characteristics of this festival. Therefore the subject of this study is to take up this festival as one of variations of "Tug-of-War", and to consider the meaning of the huge "Ozuna" and "Mezuna" ropes. There are two reasons. One is that the broad interpretation of "Tug-of-War" includes the actions of carrying and dragging the rope in the studies of "Tug-of-War"in Kyushu district. The other reason is that the festival is considered to be under the influence of the common culture of "Tug-of-War" in Japan. If we consider this festival as one of the "Tug-of-War" variations, we could regard the unification of "Ozuna" and "Mezuna" ropes as the influence of "Tenpujiboseikonkannen" -the notion of the hierogamy(holy marriage)between the sky father and the earth mother-which is common among "Tug-of-War" in the civilization of rice-producing districts.