Kitaimanishi no Okonai Ritual

About this event

"Kitaimanishi no Okonai," a traditional event handed down in the Kitaimanishi district of Nosegawa Village, Nara Prefecture, is held annually on January 2 at Amida-do Hall. The festival begins by offering arrangements of mandarins and sweet potatoes stuck into cedar-wrapped log stands along with paper flowers, and decorating the interior of the hall with a large ring woven from dozens of white bark wild vines (shirakuchi-kazura) adorned with Japanese star anise (shikimi) leaves. Large standing mochi rice cakes are offered on the altar from each household. During the chanting of sutras, a brave ritual takes place where men tear off the vine decorations, thrust a cedar log into the ring, and vigorously twist and sever it. Afterwards, villagers recite the melodic "Soyona no Utayomi" while unrolling sacred scrolls, and the festival reaches its climax with an auction of the standing mochi cakes. Kitaimanishi no Okonai is also known as Ota; the Goouhoin talismans distributed to each household are placed at rice field water inlets during the rice-planting season and have long been treasured for pest protection. This festival is a precious cultural event keeping local tradition and faith alive.

Venue

Juraku-in Amida-do Hall

404 Kitaimanishi, Nosegawa-mura, Yoshino-gun, Nara 648-0307