About this event
The Akutai Matsuri (Curse Festival), held in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a unique festival counted among Japan's Three Great Peculiar Festivals. It takes place annually on the third Sunday of December at Iizuna Shrine, the inner shrine of Atago Shrine. The festival's greatest highlight is the scene where 13 people dressed in white attire as tengu make offerings at 16 small shrines, while worshipers hurl verbal abuses such as 'You idiot!' or 'Walk faster!' at the tengu and scramble to seize the offerings. Bringing home these offerings is believed to bring blessings of warding off illness and disaster, household safety, and bountiful grain harvests for the year. The festival's origins trace back to the mid-Edo period, with various theories suggesting it was started by the feudal lord to hear the daily grievances of commoners, or that it was meant to drive away evil. Under the festival rules, slandering specific individuals by name is prohibited, and violations may be stopped by tengu with green bamboo poles. Characterized by shouts of anger and bursts of laughter echoing through the clear December air, it is said that participants feel strangely refreshed once it ends.
Source website (Japanese) ↗Venue
Iizuna Shrine (Atago Shrine Okusha)
Izumi, Kasama, Ibaraki 319-0209
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