Kinekosa Festival

In order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, this year only Shinto rituals will be carried out by Shinto priests and affiliated persons (without spectators).　

The Kinekosa Festival is held annually on the 17th day of the first month of the lunar calendar to pray for yakuyoke (protection from evil), shison hanei (prosperity), tenka taihei (peace), and gokoku houjyou (a good harvest). It is specifically believed that prayers for yakuyoke are particularly effective at this festival. The implements for the festival include kine (vertical mallets) and kosa (rice cake removed from kine) for which this festival was named.

First, male participants carry a piece of green bamboo to the Shonai River near Hichishosha Shrine and stand it up in the middle of the river. Then, a man from among them climbs up the green bamboo, and the direction in which the bamboo is bent or broken by the man’s weight is used to guide prayers and make predictions about the harvest. Festival events are also held in the precincts of the shrine, and the kine and kosa are used to touch visitors during the festival. The visitors touched by these tools are believed to be protected from evil.

This festival at Hichishosha Shrine, said to have been established around A.D. 884 (Genkei 8), is registered as an intangible cultural asset and is one of the three major eccentric festivals in Owari.