On July 19, 2024, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City), famous for its plums, began the doyo drying of "Oofuku Ume", a lucky charm for the New Year. In the precincts, where the sounds of cicadas echo, shrine maidens and priests carefully arranged the fragrant plums.
Today was the beginning of doyo, and a platform for drying the plums was placed in the garden in front of the main shrine, and a barrier rope was stretched to indicate the sacred area. About 2 tons of salted plums were prepared for drying in the sun, and about 10 people who were purified by purification began the work. Under the strong sunlight, they wiped their sweat and arranged them on straw mats, and the scent of plums filled the air. It takes about four weeks to dry them.
Kitano Tenmangu Shrine harvests plums from about 1,500 trees of about 50 varieties in the precincts, and the priests do everything from salting to bagging by hand. This year's harvest is slightly lower than usual due to the warm winter. Daifuku plums are given out in December as lucky charms for a fee.
