Itoman Hare begins with a ritual race called Ugwan Bare. Three districts, former three villages which composed Itoman area, compete each other in this race. Three villages are Nishimura, Nakamura and Mijima; firstly people in Itoman settled in Nishimura then moved down to Nakamura, at the last, to Mijima.
Therefore, respecting their tradition, it is said that Nishimura is a parent, Nakamura is a child and Mijima is a grandchild.
Usually, twelve members are onboard: 10 rowers, a standard-bearer on the bow and a helmsman on the stern. In Ugwan Bare, there is an additional man standing in the center of the boat and waving flags to keep rowers get together.
In 2010, Niijima won the race. After the Ugwan Bare, rowers visit Hakugindou shrine in order of the race and sing Hare Uta of each village for dedication.
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CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! The second video of the Tanzania documentary travel series. In this video I set off on a 9 day trek to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.
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