The earliest summer festival in Kansai, the “Okoshiya Festival,” was held on Friday, June 14 at Nishinomiya Shrine and the surrounding area, so Shachomi from Nishi2 went to check it out. Here’s what it was like.
We arrived at 3 p.m.
Here. Do you know where this is?
This spot where you can see the expressway is…
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 6-22 Honmachi, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.
It’s at Fudabasuji Line, where it intersects with Route 43!
On Ebessan’s way from Naruo to Nishinomiya Shrine, he is said to have taken a nap here, had his bottom twisted, and been woken up. This place is the venue of the “Okoshiya Festival,” known as the “Okoshiya Historic Site.”
Look at this huge crowd.
The performance of that music you hear at shrines, “gagaku,” began.
The shrine maidens’ kagura dance begins. After looking it up, it turns out this is a historic event that has continued since at least the Sengoku period, from 1571.
These are the mikoshi members of Nishinomiya Shrine (Mikoshi Housan Kousha), who support this historic event. They are the people who carry the precious Ebessan. So cool
I’m curious about what Chief Priest Yoshii of Nishinomiya Shrine is reading during the ritual…
Roughly translated, he is saying, “In Naruo, there are people who cherish Shinto, and everyone is holding the festival with heartfelt devotion. There are days when poets gather and share their joy, too. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, Nishinomiya will continue to prosper.”
When you take a closer look at the mikoshi carrying Ebisu-sama…
Loquats, a seasonal fruit at this time of year, are being offered. The Okoshiya Festival is also called the Loquat Festival.
Free loquats were being handed out to visitors.
These girls in yukata are the “Biwa Musume” loquat girls. I was wondering where they had gathered them from…
They were students from Mukogawa Women’s University’s Miyake Seminar. Apparently, as part of the Miyake Seminar’s activities, they have continued this for an amazing 15 years.
One thing that caught my attention was the offering: watermelon. When I asked Professor Masahiro Miyake about it,
it turns out that Naruo was famous for watermelon during the Edo period. Some people may know Naruo for its strawberries, too. Also, cotton was famous here, and the many futon shops in the area are apparently a remnant of that history
Amazake was also being served, but it disappeared before I knew it, so I didn’t get to drink any 😭
From 4 p.m., the kids were having a great time watching the Ebisu dance by Ningyo Shibai Ebisuza.
The ceremony at the Okoshiya Historic Site had wrapped up, so we headed over to see the festival stalls at Nishinomiya Shrine.
On the way, something fun seemed to be happening at Mandari in the Chuo Shopping Street.
It was a stamp rally spot! Fukumimi Fuku-chan, the local mascot, wasn’t there today. Did you know you can invite Fuku-chan? Performance requests are here
When we arrived at the shrine, there were so many bicycles with child seats. These days they even have roofs, huh
Oh, there were three food stalls in front of the shrine, too.
All right, let’s go inside.
Wooooow! It’s so lively!
Smart Ball is always popular, isn’t it?
It was hot today, but this yukata looks so cool and refreshing.
Goldfish scooping was a big hit, too.
They’re really giving the shooting game their all!
Shachomi plays, too!
That balancing thing. It wobbles a lot, and even when they fall off, they’re still having fun.
The kamishibai paper theater drew quite a crowd and was a big success.
Of course, there were all kinds of food, too.
