Shimoyamada festival in Yosano, Japan
Shimoyamada – Tachifuri
It is performed each year on the final weekend of April.”
At the Shimoyamada Festival, the ‘Tachifuri’ – a sacred sword ritual honouring the gods – is paraded through the entire town. “As a dance offering to the gods, the Tachifuri is also a ceremony to pray for the village’s abundant harvest. This is divided into the ‘Michifuri’ (road procession) and the ‘Miyafuri’ (shrine performance), where the procession moves through the town and performs the Miyafuri at key spots. This experience truly reinforces the understanding that a great number of Japanese festivals are, at their heart, traditional rites and ceremonies.
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