On August 6, 2024, the eve of the beginning of autumn, the traditional "Nagoshi Shinji" ritual to pray for good health was held at Shimogamo Shrine (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City). One after another, shirtless men jumped into the Mitarashi Pond in the shrine grounds and reached for 50 igushi (sacred sticks).
The ritual is also called the "Yatori Shinji" ritual because the igushi are shaped like arrows. The enshrined deity, Tamayorihime-no-Mikoto, is said to have conceived an arrow that had floated down the river and given birth to Kamo Wakeikazuchi-no-Kami (the enshrined deity of Kamigamo Shrine), and so the men competed to grab the igushi, which have the power to ward off evil.
Following the rituals at the main shrine and Mitarashi Shrine, at around 7:25 pm, 39 men lined up around the pond, chanting loudly. At the sound of a signal, the priest threw the dolls, which had been dedicated in the hope of purifying themselves, into the pond, and the men splashed about, aiming for Ikuchi. The worshippers held their breath at the sudden event.
