A City of Portable Shrine

Short documentary observing a year in the life of a neighbourhood association in Gyotoku, known as ‘Mikoshi no Machi’. The town is a bed-town close to central Tokyo, yet many temples and shrines remain, and once every three years they celebrate a good harvest by parading portable shrines. Both old and new residents participate in the residents’ association and prepare for the festival as mediators. How does the mikoshi affect the formation and division of communities and people’s beliefs in this town, where the fields have already disappeared and the area has become an urban area?

「神輿のまち」として知られる行徳の自治会の一年を観察したショートドキュメンタリー。この街は東京都心にほど近いベッドタウンでありながら多くの寺社が残り、三年に一度、五穀豊穣を祝い、神輿を担いで練り歩く。自治会には古くからの住民と新住民が共に参加し、世話人として祭りに向けて準備を進める。すでに田畑はなくなり都市部となったこの街で、神輿は共同体の形成と分断、そして人々の信仰にどのように影響しているのか。