@article{oai:tobunken.repo.nii.ac.jp:00003127,
 author = {服部, 比呂美 and HATTORI, Hiromi},
 issue = {1},
 journal = {無形文化遺産研究報告, Research and Reports on Intangible Cultural Heritage},
 month = {Mar},
 note = {In this paper the author discusses the making of tanabata-uma, one of the many customs of tanabata, an annual Japanese festival of stars, from many aspects associated with it, including the techniques for making it, in different areas of Japan.
     Various elements have been combined intricately and transmitted throughout Japan as events related with tanabata: that of kikkoden introduced from China, of wheat harvest festival, and of nanoka-bon, one of the many bon events. At the same time, because of the custom of bathing at tanabata in some areas, it also has an element of a purification ceremony.
     Tanabata-uma is a horse made of wild rice plant or wheat straw early in the morning of the 6 th or 7 th of July in the lunar calendar. It is placed together with bamboo decorations and is floated down a river or put on top of a roof at the end of the festival. People believed that tanabata-sama, interpreted by some as the god of the fields, or their ancestors visited them riding this horse.
     The transmission of tanabata-uma is significantly seen in East Japan. In the present investigation, tanabata-uma of Mobara-shi in Chiba prefecture, Iwaki-shi in Fukushima prefecture and Sendai-shi in Miyagi prefecture were studied from various aspects, including the way it is made. The characteristic of tanabata-uma at Mobara-shi is that although people originally made tanabata-uma at their homes, later it began to be sold at rokusai-ichi markets which were held regularly in this area. With the sale of tanabata-uma, villages and homes that specifically made it began to appear and it became more ornate. This means that the making of tanabata-uma became professionalized. In this sense, the making of tanabata-uma at Mobara-shi is an example that shows the process of the transmission of folk techniques.
     On the other hand, tanabata-uma of Iwaki-shi and Sendai-shi were made of wheat straw or rice straw. They were not sold at markets and, at least until the 1950 s, were made at homes. This may explain the reason that the design of these tanabata-uma is simpler compared with that of Mobara-shi. It is clear that there was no attempt to create sophisticated design and it does not show professionalization of the techniques.},
 pages = {196--179},
 title = {「七夕馬」の技術伝承},
 year = {2007}
}