Abo Hebo Traditional Cache
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There is a strange sculpture on Keyaki Dori near the start of Suido Ryokuchi in Higashi Yamato. The sculpture is called Abo Hebo. The plaque by the artwork describes the ancient custom of Abo Hebo. The reason this ceremony was significant to local residents is that the Tama Plateau lacked the water resources to grow rice so the major grain crop of the region was millet. In particular, Foxtail Millet and Japanese Millet (also known as Sanwa Millet).
The Abo Hebo Custom (Foxtail Millet and Barnyard Millet)
Long ago, there was a ceremony in early may to pray for abundant grain crops. Machetes and iron pots were used to split 9 lengths of young bamboo about man-height and roasted in a fire to make them pliable. Then pieces of wood about 20 centimeters in length were cut from elderberry, Katsunoki and pine and attached to the ends of the bamboo poles to make ears or millet or flowers. At the tip small bamboo branches with the leaves still attached were fixed to the flowers made from elder. Three of the flowers decorations marked into 12 parts to represent a whole year stuck in the ground. These were pushed into the compost pile in the backyard and water and rice were offered to the ornaments to pray for a bountiful harvest of grain. Elderberry is yellow and millet and Katsunbo are black, pine stripped of bark and needles is white so was used to represent rice. The three trees are cut at about 10 centimeters and wrapped in a bale of straw. These were brought into the house and offered to the gods, Daijingu and Kojin.
- From the Tales of Higashiyamato
There is no pen in the cache.
東大和水道緑地の始点付近けやき通りで奇妙な彫刻があります。彫刻はあぼへぼ（粟穂 椑穂）と名付けられている。アートワークによるプラークはあぼへぼの古代の習慣を説明しています。多摩高原には、地元住民がお米を作りには水が不足て変わりに雑穀を作ったわけです。具体的には、粟と椑です。
あぼへぼ （粟穂 椑穂）
昔は、穀物の豊作を願って小五月にあぼへぼの行事をしました。鉈や釜を使って、背の高さくらいの青竹の先を九本に割り、よくしなうようにするため火であぶります。その先二十センチ位に切った、にわとこ、かつんぼう（かつの木）、松などの木で穂や花を作り、さします。のうてん（頂点）には、葉のついた竹の小枝をさし、にわとこの木で作った花を三本さし、一年分計十二本飾りつけます。きれいに飾った竹を、庭先の堆肥の山にさし、水とお米をお供えして、一年間の豊作をお願いしました。にわとこは黄色いので粟、かつんぼうは黒いので稗、皮をむいた松は白いので米を表すそうです。十センチ位に切ったこの三本の木をわらでくくり俵に見立て、家の中の大神宮様、荒神様にもお供えして豊作を願いました。
ー 東大和のよもやまばなしから ー
キャッシュにはペンが入っていません。
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
uvqqra va cynva fvtug