Preparing for the Festival

The preparations for the festival are in full swing. Everyone is busy setting up stalls, decorating the streets, and preparing food. The atmosphere is buzzing with excitement as people look forward to celebrating together.

Original Text

As the festival approaches, things like blue indigo and green leaves are being carefully packed away. They are placed in small boxes with lids, wrapped in paper to protect them, and carried along while walking. Places like Matsuo, Murano, and Makizome appear more beautiful than usual. Young girls wash their hair and get ready, but their appearances are often thin and disheveled; some have messy hairstyles. They wear sandals and hats, and the way they rush about, excited for the festival to begin, is charming. The people who dance strangely while walking are also interesting, resembling monks chanting in a peculiar way. As it gets closer to the day of the festival, women accompanied by their mothers or older sisters walk along, which is also delightful.

Modern Japanese Translation

As the festival approaches, people hurriedly gather costumes such as aoi-ha and beni-ai, placing them in boxes or wrapping them loosely in paper. They carry these items back and forth, which is quite interesting. The dyeing techniques of mononeri, muraneri, and makizome seem more beautiful than usual. The young girls quickly wash their hair and tidy themselves up, but their kimonos are often torn and disheveled, with some gathering together in a messy state. Nevertheless, they get excited about putting on shoes and tying the straps of hats, and it's amusing to see them rushing around eagerly for the festival to begin. The people walking while performing strange dances create a lively atmosphere, especially those who walk in procession like the "chauza" priests. It is also interesting to watch as mothers, aunts, and older sisters accompany them, helping them adjust their attire while they walk.

People Waiting for the Festival

As the festival approaches, people prepare their costumes and dyed goods. The young girls hurry to get ready their footwear and hats. The scene depicts the bustling atmosphere of the town as it prepares for the festival, with some children running around impatiently before they are fully dressed, while others dance and parade through the streets, accompanied by parents and older sisters who help them prepare.

Color and Style

• Ao-kuyouba・Ni-ai: Ao-kuyouba is a color resembling decayed leaves with a bluish tint, and Ni-ai is a color that combines the colors of indigo and red. These are listed as colors used for ceremonial attire and gifts.
• 細櫃の蓋 (Fineshimono no futa): A fineshimono is a slender box. The image depicts items being placed inside and transported for festival preparations.
• 末濃・村濃・巻染 (Sue-nori, Murinori, Makizome): These are all names of dyeing methods. They refer to the differences in color that appear on the fabric, such as variations in shade, unevenness in dyeing, and a method of wrapping cloth for dyeing.

The Maiden and Preparations for the Festival

"童女" refers to young girls. Here, the scene depicts children preparing and dancing as they walk in a festival procession. They are adjusting their footwear and headbands, and performing other preparations for the day of the festival. "Chauza" directly indicates the name mentioned in the text and is compared to the appearance of priests who dance while walking in a procession.