The Moon, the Hole, and Women - Wakayama Prefecture - circa 1973

The Moon, the Hole, and Women - Wakayama Prefecture - circa 1973

Around 1973, in a mountainous area of Wakayama Prefecture, there was still a custom of "moon-waiting" performed by women alone. In this mystical event, women would gather at night in a hut in the mountains, talk to each other while waiting for the moon to rise, and eventually dig a hole in the ground to bury something. Men were not allowed to enter, and participants were mainly elderly women. Tsukimayoi is a folk custom of offering prayers and beliefs in accordance with the age of the moon, such as full moon or new moon, and there are examples of this custom throughout Japan, but this event in Wakayama was particularly imbued with feminine symbolism. Although the content and meaning of the buried objects are vague, it has been pointed out that this event may have been a sacred ritual related to the female body, such as menstruation and childbirth. The villagers quietly observed this custom, and the spiritual community of women was protected. Although it is no longer practiced
, there was a deep cultural memory of nature, the moon, and women's lives.