Saitansai New Year Service at Taga Taisha Shrine

About this event

Saitansai is a Shinto ritual celebrating the opening of the new year, held at Taga Taisha Shrine on January 1, 2027. This ceremony is conducted to pray for the prosperity of the Imperial Household, peace of the nation, and prosperity for parishioners and worshippers. The ritual begins with the striking of the drum at midnight on New Year's Day, enveloping many New Year's Eve visitors in its solemn atmosphere. During the ceremony, sacred fire produced through ancient methods is transferred to torches and carried before the worship hall by priests. There, fiery kanji characters reading 'Universal Peace, Bountiful Harvest, and Happiness for All' are drawn in the sky to pray for a year of peace. Following this sacred ceremony, the endless stream of hatsumode visitors continues, welcoming over 100,000 visitors by the evening of New Year's Day in typical years and totaling 500,000 across the first three days, making it one of Shiga Prefecture's prominent New Year worshipping events.

Venue

Taga Taisha Shrine

604 Taga, Taga-cho, Inukami-gun, Shiga 522-0341