About this event
With a tradition of over 850 years, this festival held in Nakayama, Hino Town, Shiga Prefecture, is a Nationally Designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Dedicated to simple wild deities passed down from parents to children and children to grandchildren, this festival begins on the afternoon of the first Sunday of September every year with a ritual sake cup ceremony at Kumano Shrine. Afterwards, the procession, divided into east and west, heads to Mount Nogami where the ritual site is located, and ceremonies are conducted in accordance with ancient rites. The climax of the festival is the 'Imo Kurabe' (taro competition), in which the lengths of the year's taros are compared. It has been traditionally said that 'if the west wins, there will be an abundant harvest; if the east wins, there will be a poor harvest,' and the passion of the people praying for the region's fertility fills the venue. The festival's origins date back to the late Heian period, making it a simple yet powerful traditional event that deeply reflects the region's history and culture.
Official website (Japanese) ↗Venue
Kumano Shrine
1941 Nakayama, Hino-cho, Gamo-gun, Shiga 529-1658
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