Gongenzan Hiko Shrine Otaue Festival Event, with Kayu Uranai

Festival highlights

Highlights include the sacred rice paddy set up in the grounds of Nagata Hiko Shrine and the performance by the boys playing the roles of young rice-planters.

Green bamboo is set up at the four corners, and shimenawa is hung around the space to represent a rice field.

The humorous exchanges between the performers playing the village headman and the young rice-planters are another memorable part of the event.

Praying for a bountiful harvest in Miyama, with a sacred rice paddy marked out in green bamboo

What to expect

A space representing a sacred rice paddy is set up in one corner of the shrine grounds.

Boys play the roles of the village headman and young rice-planters, offering rice-planting gestures and a rice-planting dance.

The event expresses hopes for a bountiful harvest through rice-planting movements and exchanges between performers in different roles.

Location and access

Venue and address

Hiko Shrine (Nagata Hiko Shrine) / 3566 Nagata, Setaka-machi, Miyama City

Train and bus

It is a 10-minute drive from Setaka Station on the JR Kagoshima Main Line.

By car

It is a 10-minute drive from Setaka Station.

Address 3566 Nagata, Setaka-machi, Miyama City, Fukuoka Prefecture

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Dates and season

Season

Mar

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Nearby attractions

Nearby recommended spots include Shakunaikai Okunoin (the Rhododendron Temple), the Nagata Giant Ginkgo Festival, and the Nagata Giant Ginkgo Tree.

They are all featured as nearby attractions on the same information page as the Gongenzan “Otaue” event.

Please check with each facility or event for current operating status and visitor information.

Origins and History of Gongenzan Hiko Shrine Otaue Festival Event, with Kayu Uranai

The event is said to have begun in the Edo period. Its origins are attributed to the practice of enshrining the deity of the fields at Nagata’s Gongen-san in hopes of increasing rice production.

However, the cultural property description estimates that it originated in or after the late early-modern period.

Passed down as an event rooted in local life and agriculture, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Miyama City in 2013.

Official information

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Heritage Online lists the “Gongenzan Hiko Shrine Otaue Festival Event, with Kayu Uranai” as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property in Nagata, Setaka-machi, Miyama City, Fukuoka Prefecture.

The designation date is January 21, 2013.

For the latest information, including the event date, check Miyama City’s tourism information or announcements from relevant organizations.

Gongenzan Hiko Shrine Otaue Festival Event, with Kayu Uranai at a Glance

The Gongenzan Hiko Shrine Otaue Festival Event is a traditional event held in Nagata, Setaka-machi, Miyama City, to pray for a bountiful harvest, with offerings of rice-planting gestures and dance.

A sacred rice paddy is marked out with green bamboo and shimenawa, and highlights include the exchange between the boys playing the roles of young rice-planters and the village headman.

Said to have begun in the Edo period, it continues to pass on the region’s agricultural culture.