Touya observance of Chiyashiro Castle

Festival highlights

A highlight is the way the parishioners’ ritual organization, centered on the Miyakabu, and hereditary heads of the zatori maintain the event.

Field crops such as taro, soybeans, and daikon are offered to the gods, and ritual foods including mochi are prepared.

Another distinctive feature is the appearance in the festival’s rituals of field crops associated with the former slash-and-burn farming areas of the Chugoku Mountains.

Kurashima Shrine’s autumn festival: preserving old family lineages and the bounty of the fields

What to expect

The event consists of rituals centered on Miyakabu households, held in conjunction with the autumn festival of Kurashima Shrine.

Ritual foods made with field crops and mochi are offered to the gods, and some are also used for the communal meal.

No information is provided about the specific schedule or activities that visitors can take part in.

How to take part

The event centers on 16 Miyakabu households, which inherit responsibility for the tōya ceremonies, and the hereditary zatō.

Whether visitors may observe, and any rules for observing, also need to be confirmed in advance.

Location and access

Venue and address

Kurashima Shrine.

It is held as the autumn festival of Kurashima Shrine, the tutelary shrine of Chiyashiro Castle.

Event venue 岡山県 倉嶋神社

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

Open in Google Maps

Dates and season

It is described as an event open to the public each year on day 1 of lunar month 9, the 18th, and the 19th.

No verifiable information is available about the event times or the details for each day.

Origins and History of Touya observance of Chiyashiro Castle

This event has been carried on by households known as the Miyakabu as part of the autumn festival of Kurashima Shrine, the tutelary shrine of Daijo.

The Miyakabu are divided into five names corresponding to old family lineages dating back to the medieval period. The event is maintained under the leadership of hereditary heads of the zatori.

In 1983, it was selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which measures such as documentation should be undertaken, as a typical example of a tradition whose origins and content reflect the region’s way of life.

Official information

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of National Cultural Properties lists the name of the Touya observance of Chiyashiro Castle, its public dates, its status as a cultural property, and details of the event.

Touya observance of Chiyashiro Castle at a Glance

The Touya observance of Chiyashiro Castle is a ritual event held for the autumn festival of Kurashima Shrine and passed down mainly by the 16 Miyakabu households and hereditary heads of the zatori.

The use of field crops such as taro, soybeans, and daikon in offerings to the gods and the communal meal reflects the connection to life in the former slash-and-burn farming region.