Sacred Procession of the Yoshida Autumn Festival (National Designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property)

About this event

The Yoshida Autumn Festival is a divine procession (shinko gyoji) held during the autumn annual grand festival on November 3 at Hachiman Shrine in Tachima, Yoshida-cho, Uwajima City. The form of "oneri" (parade), a ceremonial artistic performance established in the late early-modern era, can be verified in picture scrolls painted at the end of the Edo period and has been passed down within the town layout that has remained unchanged since the late Edo period. It broadly incorporates elements of "nerimono" (procession floats and performances) found in Nanyo regional festivals, featuring omifune (sacred boats), neriguruma (parade floats), kanoko (fawn dancers), ushioni (bull demons), toda, and goyo-neri. In particular, the "neri" unique to the Nanyo region, such as ushioni and the deer dance (shishi-odori), are must-sees. The lavishly crafted neriguruma floats and decorative tapestries with three-dimensional embroidery testify to the financial power of Yoshida's townspeople. In contrast to the static movement of the neriguruma, the ushioni and mikoshi (portable shrines) became much more dynamic in modern times, evolving into a festival focused on visual performance. Strongly preserving the format of the neri procession established during the Edo period, the unique neri of the Nanyo region—including neriguruma, ushioni, and deer dances—highlights the distinctive features of Nanyo festival culture. It is regarded as highly valuable as an important ritual event serving as a benchmark when considering festival performance traditions in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, centering on the Seto Inland Sea area.

Venue

Minamiyama Hachiman Shrine

Tachima, Yoshida-cho, Uwajima, Ehime 799-3730