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Ooagata Jinja has a twin festival at Tagata Jinja.
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Ooagata Jinja.and Inuyama Castle
Ooagata Jinja.Hohnen-sai
The Bumper Harvest Festival was listed in the guidebooks as a fun thing to do especially as it is a bit strange.I highly recommend it. It felt very local and immediate. It had lots to do and can be combined with something else in the inuyama area for a great day.
The Ooagata shrine is a fertility shrine and is visited by people who wish to get pregnant, arrange a marriage etc
The banner for the festival was designed by a famous Japanese woodblock artist named Munakata Shiko.
Parade arriving at the temple
Actually my first shot for the day. The ladies danced their way to the temple. They had pretty good music too. The day was very cold and the ladies must have been absolutely freezing.
My highlight was watching these guys do their thing. They say and danced around with the pole as they brought it to the temple.
Inside Ooagata Jinja
I have a wide collection of photos of these good luck plaques now. The picture differs from temple to temple. (These are called ema )
Sake casks on display
Blossoms on the hill behind the temple
Taiko drums being played in a truck as part of the parade. Rather than one parade there were many smaller parades through the afternoon. The drumming was loud and exciting.
The kagami-mochi arrives.
Watching the parade. All a bit unusual really
The wedding parade and the carriers arrive. The busses are full of guys about to carry the kagami-mochi.
The wedding parade. I was told that it was more of a symbolic wedding rather than an actual wedding. It did not stop the spectacular outfits though.
Posing on the back of the truck.
Beautiful and elaborate
Getting ready for the parade to begin
Carrying a giant kagami-mochi from the car park into the temple. Load calls or irasshi (Welcome) as they heaved the offerings onward.
Quite a bit of effort
After that excitement the drummers started. It was cold and I was very glad for a bit of free sake as it was offered to the crowd.
The drumming was pretty amazing.It was the first time that I had seen a Taiko performance. It will not be the last.
The noise was incredible. Very loud
The Taiko band kept playing as the final part of the parade arrived. The Tengu led the parade. His spirit protecting it.
A close up of the Tengu.
See those bells!! They arrived very serenely but then....
Everyone was everywhere, bells to the left, bells to the right as the crowd fought to until the charms attached to the bells. Utter chaos as old people were everywhere using their elbows. I would have had more shots but it was just too crazy.
Well after the bells these colourful poles were next. But how would people get them down. It did not take much. The carriers were a bit tipsy and the crowd ready for a fight.
People leaped on the poles and dragged them to the ground. It appeared to be the more that you grabbed the better as utter craziness swarmed around me. Some people even got the top parts of the poles themselves.
I got one, yay. (The main shrine of the temple behind me )
Portable shrine
YAKU-DOSHI are the "years of calamity" . Women on the left, men on the right. People who are in their unlucky years can join the parade to get some luck back.
Posing with the drum group. I was cold in my jacket. How that guy could wear that t-shirt is beyond me.
We left the parade about 2pm. There was rice cake throwing at 4pm, but it was too cold to stay.
(A few weeks later I went to Tagata Jinja and stayed for the rice cake throwing. It was LOST OF FUN and highly recommended).
Instead of staying we zipped a few Km down the road to see inuyama castle.