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THADDEUS POPE

Thaddeus Pope is a documentary photographer and videographer based in Japan

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    • MATSURI
      • Karo Nakizumo Festival (Crying Baby Sumo)
      • Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival)
      • Misasa Onsen Hanayu Festival
      • Tottori Shan-Shan Festival
      • Nakada Hadaka Matsuri
      • Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri
      • Miya Festival
      • The Great Bonfire of Toba
      • Takisanji Oni Matsuri
      • Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri
    • Uchi-Soto
    • The Greatest Gift (Video)
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    • The Temples of Angkor
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Matsuri

“Matsuri” is an ongoing photographic investigation into the role of festivals (祭り, matsuri) in contemporary Japanese life.

Karo Nakizumo Festival (Crying Baby Sumo)

Karo Nakizumo Festival (Crying Baby Sumo)

Nakizumo or “Baby Crying Sumo” festivals are held in the belief that crying babies will grow to be healthy and strong and have prosperous futures – especially so if the crying is long and loud!

VIEW PROJECT Karo Nakizumo Festival (Crying Baby Sumo)

The Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival) by Thaddeus Pope

Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival)

The Nada no Kenka Matsuri is an especially high-spirited Shinto festival, which brings the local community together in an annual celebration of great cultural and spiritual significance.

VIEW PROJECT Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival)

Misasa Onsen Hanayu Festival (Misasa no Jinsho)

Misasa Onsen Hanayu Festival (Misasa no Jinsho) culminates in a giant tug of war between two teams of local men representing the western and eastern parts of Misasa Onsen in Tottori Prefecture.

VIEW PROJECT Misasa Onsen Hanayu Festival (Misasa no Jinsho)

Tottori Shan-Shan Festival

Held in August during Obon, the Tottori Shan-Shan Festival is the region’s largest annual event, during which as many as 4,000 people perform choreographed dances with decorative umbrellas.

VIEW PROJECT Tottori Shan-Shan Festival

Image of the Nakada Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Man Festival) in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, by Thaddeus Pope

Nakada Hadaka Matsuri

Held in the modest locale of Nakada on the outskirts of Nagoya, the Nakada Hadaka Matsuri is a small but thrilling purification ritual believed to drive away bad luck.

VIEW PROJECT Nakada Hadaka Matsuri

Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

Each year in mid-September, the historic coastal town of Kishiwada proudly hosts the most widely known, well-attended and deadliest “danjiri”, or cart-pulling, festival in Japan.

VIEW PROJECT Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

Miya Festival

The pride of Gamagori City, the Miya Festival is one of the best-known and most spectacular festivals in the Tokai region of Japan.

VIEW PROJECT Miya Festival

The Great Bonfire of Toba

One of the most extraordinary festivals in Japan, Toba Dai Kagaribi (The Great Bonfire of Toba) has roots that can be traced back 1,200 years.

VIEW PROJECT The Great Bonfire of Toba

The Takisanji Oni Matsuri by Thaddeus Pope

Takisanji Oni Matsuri

The Takisanji Oni Matsuri, which features a spectacular fire-based purification ceremony, is an annual ritual to pray for peace and good harvest for the coming year.

VIEW PROJECT Takisanji Oni Matsuri

Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Man Festival)

The Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri has been held in Inazawa since 767 AD, when Emperor Shotoku ordered the performance of cleansing ceremonies to rid the land of a quickly spreading plague.

VIEW PROJECT Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Man Festival)

info@thadpope.com

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