On the 1st, the "Otaki Festival"—a rain-prayer ritual involving releasing sake-intoxicated eels into a waterfall basin—was held at Otaki Falls in Yuyadani, Ujitawara Town, Kyoto Prefecture. Local residents gathered to pray for protection against water-related accidents and for an abundant harvest.
Otaki Falls, one of the largest in the town, is home to the "Otaki Daimyojin," a deity (Fudo-son) worshipped to bring rain. Eels are considered messengers of this deity; legend holds that when released into the basin, they ascend the waterfall, transform into dragons, and bring rain.
During the ritual, resident representatives purified three eels by feeding them sacred sake. They then grasped the slippery creatures and released them into the basin five meters below. The eels writhed in mid-air before vanishing into the waterfall's spray.
Kazufumi Tsujii (78 years old), the head of the organizing committee, said, "There were times this summer when water was scarce. We prayed for a bountiful harvest and for the well-being of the residents."
