At Shimogamo Shrine in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, on the night of August 7, 2023, on the eve of one of the twenty-four solar terms, the "Yatori Shinji," a traditional Nagoshi event to pray for good health and longevity. was run. Men splashed water and competed for 50 igushi sticks with gohei set up in Mitarashi Pond.
It is a brave Shinto ritual that is rare at Shimogamo Shrine. Paired with the Mitarashi Festival, where you quietly soak your feet in the water, you can get rid of impurities during the summer. It is related to the mythical legend that Tamayorihime no Mikoto, the enshrined deity, brought back an arrow that flowed from the river, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Kamowakei Azuchinokami.
50 male shrine parishioners stripped to their waists lined up in front of the pond, shouting "Essa, Essa!" After the tens of thousands of talismanic figures that worshipers had put into the pond were thrown into the pond one after another. Dancing dolls and splashes of water floated on the bonfires, immersing the worshipers in a magical summer night atmosphere.
