Yamazaki Hachiman Shrine Autumn Grand Festival / Motoyama Ritual

About this event

At the annual autumn grand festival held every September at Yamazaki Hachiman Shrine in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the traditional Motoyama Ritual is performed to pray for a bountiful harvest. This festival is said to have begun in Genroku 15 (1702) when Mori Mototsugu, the lord of Tokuyama Domain, prayed for a good harvest. It features the dynamic sight of a gigantic float (Motoyama) weighing 2 tons being pushed down a steep slope. The float is assembled using wild vine bindings without nails, and the same structure is used every year. A Chinju-no-Mori concert is held during the festival eve, and the main festival features portable shrines (mikoshi) carried by children and women. In the Motoyama Ritual, following the lion dance and Shinto prayer rituals, the float plunges down all at once; upon impact, young men scramble up the float to compete for sacred pine branches and gohei (sacred wooden wands). It is said that the district facing the front of the fallen float will enjoy a bountiful harvest, and good fortune will come to those who obtain a gohei, along with their families and districts. Night stalls also open during the festival period, creating a lively atmosphere. Limited-edition goshuin stamps for the autumn grand festival will also be distributed.

Venue

Yamazaki Hachiman Shrine

1-9-10 Miyanomae, Shunan, Yamaguchi 746-0017