On June 20, 2026, the ancient "Takekiri-e-shiki" ceremony, in which bamboo representing a giant snake is cut to ward off misfortune, was held at Kurama-dera Temple in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City. Despite the rain, approximately 300 worshippers, including citizens and tourists, watched intently as men dressed as warrior monks displayed their impressive sword skills.
The ceremony is based on a Heian period legend in which Buen, the restorer of Kurama-dera Temple, defeated a giant snake with his magical powers. It is said that from the mid-Edo period onward, the monks competed to see who could cut the bamboo the fastest, with the outcome of the competition used to predict the harvest.
To the sound of conch shells, the warrior monks appeared in front of the main hall and began cutting the bamboo into neat strips. Following the court music and dance, Abbot Shigaraki Koji raised his fan as a signal, and the warrior monks from each group, divided into pairs, simultaneously swung their mountain knives, cutting down bamboo stalks approximately 6 meters long and 10 centimeters in diameter one after another.
Battered by the rain, the Tanba group finished first, and as they declared their victory for the third consecutive year, applause and cheers erupted from the worshippers.
