「日野市南平熊野神社」
＝地域を守る鎮守神へ初詣＝　ドキュメント2８h

　京王線南平駅前の赤色のぼり旗「初詣南平熊野神社」に誘われ、友人の神社総代・役員さんの、ご協力を得ながら大晦日から新年初詣、地域の鎮守神＝南平熊野神社の、お正月を追ってみた。

Invited by the red banner in front of Minamidaira Station on the Keio Line that read "First Shrine Visit of the Year at Minamidaira Kumano Shrine," I followed the New Year's celebrations at Minamidaira Kumano Shrine, the local guardian deity, from New Year's Eve to the New Year, with the help of my friends who are shrine representatives and officials.

2025年12月31日11時30分　参道から絵灯籠、社殿にお正月飾りが南平熊野神社を飾る。

December 31, 2025, 11:30 AM
Picture lanterns adorn the approach to Minamidaira Kumano Shrine, and New Year's decorations adorn the main shrine building.

22時30分
夜も更けて、神社総代及び役員・協力者（15人程）が順次集合する。前日からのテント張り、参道の飾りに加えて御神前のお飾り、社殿のライトアップ等、新年を迎える準備は万全。

10:30 PM
As the night deepens, shrine representatives, officials, and collaborators (approximately 15 people) begin to gather one after another. Preparations for the New Year are complete, with tents being set up the day before, decorations along the approach, decorations in front of the altar, and illuminations in the main shrine building.

23時00分
参拝者への甘酒の準備、境内で焚火を囲み打ち合わせ飲み会！？　年に数回の親睦会でもある。
11:00 PM
We prepare amazake (sweet sake) for worshippers, and then we have a meeting and drinking session around a bonfire in the shrine grounds! It's also a social gathering that takes place several times a year.

23時56分
一般参拝者も集まりかけ、ほろ酔いかげんで社殿前に整列、総代の掛け声カウントダウン、３、２、１「新年おめでとうございます」
11:56 PM
General worshippers were beginning to gather, and some were slightly tipsy as they lined up in front of the shrine. The head of the shrine counted down: 3, 2, 1, "Happy New Year!"

地域の参拝者が次々と社殿に向かい、社殿の奥、神前まで入り初詣。お参りの後は甘酒サービス、地域ならではの「御もてなし」。
One by one, local worshippers made their way to the shrine, entering the innermost part of the building, right in front of the altar, for their first visit of the year. After praying, they were offered complimentary sweet sake, a local touch of hospitality.

参道の絵灯篭、幻想的にライトアップされた社殿の周りには家族的な雰囲気が醸し出され、鎮守の森の鎮守神社は賑わいをみせた。
The picture lanterns lining the approach and the fantastically lit shrine created a family-like atmosphere, and the resident shrine in the shrine forest was bustling with activity.

2026年1月1日0時45分
一般参拝者も引き揚げた静かな境内に、焚火を囲み「ご苦労さん会」。気温は冷え込んできたが、何とも心温まる光景だ。
January 1, 2026, 12:45 A
A "Thank You for Your Hardships" gathering is held around a bonfire in the quiet grounds after the general public has left. The temperature is chilling, but it's a truly heartwarming sight.

1３時３０分
元日の午後、木漏れ日の中、家族連れの参拝者がお参りする。絵馬に願いをかける。おみくじで「大吉」が出て喜ぶ人。お札を受ける。愛犬を連れて参拝する人。「2礼2拍…」お参りの仕方を口ずさみながら…。おみくじを結ぶとき、強く引っ張り切れて嘆くお子さん。参拝者に甘酒を配る「御もてなし」。地域の鎮守神社に平和な時が流れる。
1:30 PM
On New Year's Day afternoon, families visit the shrine in the shade filtering through the trees. They make wishes on votive plaques. Some are delighted to receive "Daikichi" (great fortune) on their fortune slips. They receive talismans. Some bring their pet dogs. They recite the instructions for praying: "Two bows, two claps..."... A child laments when his fortune slip breaks when he tries to tie it. Amazake (sweet sake) is distributed to worshippers as a "hospitality" gesture. A peaceful time flows at the local guardian shrine.

14時20分　宮司による元日祭（神事）が厳かに行われた。
2:20 PM: The New Year's Day ritual (a Shinto ritual) is solemnly performed by the chief priest

15時00分　元日祭が終わり、祝杯！　平和な年になりますように！
3:00 PM: The New Year's Day ritual ends, and a toast is raised! May this year be a peaceful one

南平熊野神社は、日野市南平６丁目～９丁目地区の鎮守神として起源は明確ではないが1558年～1570年頃建立とされている。（出典：七生村史/新編武蔵野風土記稿）
1972年に台風の影響で裏山が崩壊する危険があり翌年1973年に現在地に遷座し、1980年に老朽化により修復された。

Minamidaira Kumano Shrine, the guardian deity of the Minamidaira 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-chome areas of Hino City, is believed to have been built between 1558 and 1570, though its origins are unclear. (Source: Shichio Village History/New Edition Musashino Fudoki Draft)
In 1972, a typhoon threatened to collapse the mountain behind the shrine, so the shrine was moved to its current location the following year in 1973. It was restored in 1980 due to deterioration.