These images depict participants in 'matsuri' (festivals) who carry portable shrines, 'mikoshi', housing a god, from the Shinto shrine to the townspeople. Partly religious, partly festive, matsuri take place over the course of a weekend and celebrate such rites of passage or concepts as the beginning of spring, fertility, the end of the rainy season, the rice harvest, and so on. These images were collected from many different matsuri, mostly in the Tokyo area. Please enjoy the show! Many of the images are showcased in the book "MATSURI -CALL OF THE GODS" (120p - publ. 2010 ) now available online in hardcover or as an e-book from: www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2206893