Golden Dragon Dance

On the northeast side of Tokyo lies a small sea side village known as Asakusa

. This village was established in the 7th century. The story goes that two fishermen out at sea one day found not fish but a small golden statue in their fishing nets. This Buddhist statue was that of the deity Kannon. Kannon was revered as a deity of compassion.

On this auspicious day which was the 18th of March 628, a Golden Dragon appeared above the village in the sky to mark the finding of this statue.

Dragons are popular among Asian nations, and unlike their Western counterparts are usually serpentine in appearance, wingless, and comparatively benevolent. Of these the golden ones are a rare breed and are not seen easily as they are invisible.

The appearance of this Golden Dragon in the village of Asakusa, together with the finding of the golden statue catapulted this village to fame. The enshrined statue in the Sensoji Temple grew in importance and popularity whilst becoming a famous pilgrim"s spot.

Thereafter every year, a special Golden Dragon Dance is held to commemorate the visitation of the original dragon nearly 1300 years ago. This dance dragon weighs only 75 kilos and is around 15 meters in length, whereas its live counterpart was thought to be over 30 meters long.

The dragon dances thrice before it disappears from public view until the next year. This dragon is held up on poles and is manoeuvred by 8 men. Whilst the dragon dances, ladies attired as geishas use traditional instruments to play music.

Visitors to Tokyo during this period should not pass up the opportunity to be a part of this interesting Golden Dragon Dance Festival, as it is truly a memorable experience. If the visitor is looking for a Tokyo apartment hotel from which to base themselves, then the Citadines Tokyo Shinjuku is one of the choice apartment hotels in Tokyo.

by: Pushpitha Wijesinghe

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