Nov. 8 is "Bellows Festival"—read fugo. I learned only after joining the building. Smiths and casters worship guardian deities. The date is lunar calendar.
Palaceside holds it yearly. As the 8th was Saturday, we held it Nov. 7 afternoon. An altar in the elevator-tower boiler room with a 50 cm sea bream plus vegetables, fruit, sacred sake =photo top—about 80 from building staff and partners
offered tamagushi for safety and prosperity =photo right.
Bellows also called fuigo—essential blowers for refining metal. From sewn hide to foot-operated tatara.
Details from Hitachi Metals' site:
"Japan's first recorded blower is the leather habuki in Nihon Shoki—whole deer hide, likely from China via Korea. Han relics show hanging leather bellows; Hou Hanshu records water-wheel blowers for iron and farm tools."
The site asks why Japan adopted water power only in late Edo—"Why ~1900 years late?"
Originally smiths purified bellows at Inari shrines; spread to fire trades; today boiler rooms hold safety rites—though fewer buildings observe it.
Eating festival mandarin oranges was said to prevent colds and measles; we distributed oranges to attendees.
May this year be healthy and safe.
(Photo bottom: boiler room panorama.)
