Here’s a look at the Nishinomiya Festival “Togyo-sai” held at Nishinomiya Shrine on September 23. We’re publishing this as an event archive, a type of article we write after some time has passed since the event.
(Photos and information provided by Shota. Thank you!)
The Nishinomiya Festival is a very important festival, but I think it’s surprisingly not well known.
So first, I’ll give you a quick 3-line summary of the whole “Togyo-sai”.
- A festival based on the story of a statue of Ebisu being found in the sea, in which the statue is placed in a mikoshi portable shrine and carried to shrines connected to it.
- The procession departs by boat from Shin-Nishinomiya Yacht Harbor, traveling along the Nishinomiya coastline while holding a ritual at Omaehama to pray for safety.
- Visits are made to Wada Shrine and Mitsuishi Shrine, both closely connected to Ebisu.
Now, let’s get started with the report.
A ceremony called Hatsuyo-sai is held at Nishinomiya Shrine, and then the procession sets off with the mikoshi at the center.
The girl in the emerald-green outfit in the foreground is a doyo (young shrine maiden).
It’s really lively around the mikoshi.
They’ve arrived at Nishinomiyahama. There are already lots of people seeing them off.
The sacred object is taken from the mikoshi.
The two Shinto priests carrying the sacred object. That’s the first time I’ve seen masks like these. Are they specially made for shrines?
So many boats for the Togyo-sai were already waiting.
You often see these five-colored cloths at shrines, and apparently people remember the order with “♪ mi-gi-a-shi-murasaki ♪” (mi = green, gi = yellow, a = red, shi = white, murasaki = purple). Which of these colors do you think is the most noble?
- 緑0%(0票)
- 黄0%(0票)
- 赤4.8%(2票)
- 白4.8%(2票)
- 紫90.5%(38票)
The five colors of this flag seem to be connected to the Chinese philosophy of yin-yang and the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. In terms of direction, they represent east, south, center, west, and north.
The answer for the most noble color is the center, the color of earth: yellow.
Lots of people are watching over the procession.
Kobe Shimbun was there covering it too.
The guardians of the young shrine maidens and those heading to Wadamisaki together depart on a separate boat.
This is Omaehama. During a ritual called “Kazematsuri”, which has continued since the Heian period, the boats moved around Omaehama in various directions.
Here’s a question!
- 海の神80%(24票)
- 風の神16.7%(5票)
- 火の神3.3%(1票)
- 土の神0%(0票)
Answer below ↓
It seems that the deity of Nishinomiya at the time was feared as a god who could stir up strong winds. Apparently, Omaehama was very windy. I had no idea.
They purify the area with paper confetti and pray for safety at sea.
The boats continue on toward Wadamisaki.
Route ↓
It takes a little under two hours from the yacht harbor.
The Nishinomiya Festival’s Kazematsuri and Togyo-sai actually had not been held for about 400 years, apparently because of what we would now call land system reforms under Oda Nobunaga. They were revived in 2000.
Look at everyone waving to the people at Mosaic. It’s such a peaceful and lovely festival.
They safely arrived at Wadamisaki. The procession continues to Wada Shrine.
Here it is on the map ↓
The address is 3-2-45 Wadamiya-dori, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture.
The young shrine maidens are holding tamagushi. By the way, a tamagushi is a branch of sakaki decorated with paper ornaments, and it is said to serve as a bridge connecting the gods and people.
They’re almost at Wada Shrine.
Wada Shrine’s danjiri float was there too, and the atmosphere was really lively.
At Wada Shrine, a festival called “Otabijo-sai” is held. The young shrine maidens are offering kagura dance. By the way, an otabijo is said to be a resting place for the deity during a shrine festival.
After that, they made visits to related shrines in what is called Ubumiya-mairi, returned to Nishinomiya Shrine, and ended with the Kangyo-sai.
It will be held again next year. It’s actually a three-day festival, and you can see the schedule below.
Finally
Today, the 21st, the Yoimiya-sai and other events are scheduled to take place, but the weather is a concern. Sudden changes to the festival schedule due to bad weather and other conditions will apparently be announced on this website. Here’s hoping the weather clears up. 🙏
*Shota, thank you very much for the information!
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