NARA –
A standard deer antler-cutting ceremony courting again some 350 years was held at Nara Park, the place handlers chased and captured male deer earlier than rigorously eradicating their antlers to stop accidents to guests through the autumn mating season.
Known as Shika no Tsunokiri, the occasion is considered one of Nara’s most distinctive autumn traditions, drawing spectators to look at males wearing conventional happi coats pursue deer working at excessive velocity by way of a specifically designated enclosure.
The observe started through the Edo interval to cut back the danger of accidents brought on by male deer, which turn out to be extra aggressive through the autumn breeding season. The ceremony has continued for about 350 years, turning into an necessary a part of the traditional capital’s cultural heritage.
During the occasion, handlers used ropes to catch the deer by their antlers, a few of which measured greater than 50 centimeters in size. Once an animal was safely restrained, a participant dressed as a Shinto priest rigorously sawed off its antlers, taking precautions to keep away from injuring the deer.
Spectators watched because the handlers pursued the animals and carried out the normal process. One customer described the expertise merely as “fun,” whereas one other mentioned the occasion offered a possibility to expertise Japanese custom firsthand.
The ceremony concluded with the freshly eliminated antlers being held up for the viewers to see, drawing applause from the gang.
The annual observe serves each a sensible security function and a cultural position, preserving a centuries-old custom related to Nara’s well-known deer, which roam freely all through the park and stay one of many metropolis’s best-known points of interest.
Source: TBS