''Ninoko,'' a festival dedicated to a large snake woven from straw, was held in the Oyama area of Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City. Residents hung a 13-meter-long giant snake on a tree near the Otowa River, praying for a rich harvest and good health in the area.
Ninoko is a traditional event that has continued since the late Kamakura period in the Oyama area. It is said that the origin of this festival is that when a samurai living in a small mountain killed a large snake that was bothering the villagers, he enshrined a large straw snake to appease the spirit. It is registered as a city intangible folk cultural property, and is held every year on February 9th, the day when the giant snake was killed.
On this day, from the morning, about 15 residents created a giant snake with 12 legs and tangerine eyes using straw, pine, and wood. After a memorial service conducted by the chief priest of Hogon-ji Temple, residents carried the large snake and paraded it through the area, hanging it from a tree along the Otowa River, which is known as ''Yama-mae, the mountain god''. The serpent is enshrined in the same place for about a year.
The Ninoko Preservation Society, made up of residents, has been working hard to train successors this year, including by creating rules for the association. Chairman Takeo Takeya (77 years old) said with a relieved expression, ''I was able to pass on the teachings of his seniors to his juniors and finish this year safely.''
