HIGASHIKAWA, Hokkaido — A Shinto ritual to express gratitude for the autumn harvest was held Sept. 2 at a Hokkaido Shrine-designated sacred rice field here.
The Hokkaido town of Higashikawa, located at the base of the Daisetsuzan volcanic group, is known for its rice cultivation. During the Sept. 2 “Nuibosai” festival, new rice to be offered to Hokkaido Shrine in Sapporo was harvested from the 0.18-hectare rice field, designated as a sacred paddy in 1979.
The field is owned by Kazuyuki Mita, 48, whose family has managed it since his grandfather’s time. The event included the recitation of Shinto prayers and a kagura dance performance. Twelve “saotome,” or young women who plant and harvest rice in traditional attire, and six male assistants entered the golden field as rice stalks swayed in the wind. The renowned Hokkaido brand rice “Yumepirika” was then harvested with sickles to the tune of a rice-harvesting song and offered to the deities.
(Japanese original by Toshiki Miyama, Hokkaido Photo and Video Department)
Photo Special: Rice-harvesting Shinto festival held in Hokkaido town
AloJapan.com