令和7年内宮領初穂曳・伊勢市、五十鈴川 ・Hatsuhobiki 2025: Sacred Rice is transported to Ise Grand Shrine, Japan
Ise, Mie Prefecture Today, we are standing on the bank of Isuzu River in Ise city, the home of the most venerable shrine in the Shinto religion. The event that we are here to see is known as “Hatsuhobiki”. “Hatsuhobiki” is an event in which citizens from various
neighborhoods in Ise City participate to celebrate “Kanname-sai” an annual festival in which newly-harvested rice is offered to the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, at the Ise Grand Shrine. The word “hatsuho” is used to signify
that the rice is from the first harvest of the season. This boat, which is known as the “Hatsuhobune”, is pulled along the Isuzu river by the festival participants. They will pull the boat to “Naikū”, which is the Inner Shrine of the Ise Grand Shrine. The participants are chanting “En’ya”. The journey along the Isuzu River is around 1.2 kilometers. On its way to the Inner Shrine, the procession must pass under two bridges, “Uratabashi” and “Shimbashi”, before being pulled onto land at the foot of “Ujibashi”, the bridge that worshippers cross in order to enter “Naikū”. In the Shinto religion, “Ujibashi” represents the boundary between the mundane world and the sacred world. A traditional song, known as “Kiyari-uta”, is sung by both the children and adult participants. This song is associated with the carrying of heavy objects, particularly logs. The “Kiyari-uta” is sung at various intervals along the way. Also, as they proceed, the festival participants pull the two ropes together and engage in several mini “water battles”, like this one.
令和7年10月16日、新穀を載せた初穂舟を曳き、五十鈴川をさかのぼり内宮へ奉納する「川曳」が行われました。
October 16, 2025: Scenes from the “Hatsuhobiki” a spectacular annual event, in which newly-harvested rice (known as “sacred rice”) is transported to the Ise Grand Shrine (Inner Shrine, Naikū) along the Isuzu River. In accordance with Shinto religious tradition, the rice is offered to the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu inside Naikū. The day before, rice was transported by road to the Outer Shrine (Gekū) in a different event.
#japaneseculture #japanesefestival #伊勢神宮