Hachiman Shrine’s Higan Festival

Hachiman Shrine’s Higan Festival, passed down in Seki, Tsuruga City, is a prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural property that links entry into the community with prayers for a good harvest. Its older festival practices are documented, but the festival is currently suspended.

About Hachiman Shrine’s Higan Festival

Hachiman Shrine’s Higan Festival is a prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural property passed down in Seki, Tsuruga City.

It was held on the first day of the equinoctial period as a shrine ritual in which the head of a household and people who had married into the community from elsewhere became members of the ujiko community.

It is an agricultural custom linked to prayers and gratitude for a good harvest, and is currently reported to be suspended.

Festival highlights

Its distinctive sequence moves from purification by the sea to shrine rituals, a communal meal marking entry into the ujiko community, and dancing.

In the past, after purifying themselves at Sada Beach, parishioners attended the -waving ritual, after which the song moved to the shrine precincts.

The tradition also describes a scene in which male and female butterfly dancers perform the Kuwae dance, and the ritual is valued for preserving the form of an older festival.

Seki’s Higan Festival: preserving the form of an older festival

What to expect

In the festival’s former form, duties were assigned at the First Harvest Festival on March 1, ceremonial items were prepared on the 15th, and mochi was pounded with a wooden mallet on the 17th.

After a communal meal with the chief priest and senior shrine parishioners, participants purified themselves at the festival on the 18th, followed by the gohei-waving ritual, a communal meal marking entry into the ujiko community, and the head-pointing ritual.

The tradition also describes a final dance in which male and female butterfly dancers perform the Kuwae dance.

Location and access

Venue and address: Hachiman Shrine, 55 Seki, Tsuruga City

Address 55 Seki, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture

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Dates and season

Season: Early March (formerly, on the first day of the equinoctial period)
Frequency: Recorded as an annual event (currently suspended)

Accommodation and hotels PR

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Tips for your visit

Photo and data sources

写真：visiter / Public domain

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Origins and History of Hachiman Shrine’s Higan Festival

Hachiman Shrine’s Higan Festival was designated an intangible folk cultural property by Fukui Prefecture in Showa 37 May 15.

In the past, duties were assigned at the First Harvest Festival, followed over several days by preparations of ceremonial items, mochi pounding, communal meals, purification, the gohei-waving ritual, and dancing.

The festival is currently suspended, but it is documented as a shrine ritual that preserves the form of an older festival.

Official information

Fukui Prefecture’s cultural properties page features Hachiman Shrine’s Higan Festival as a prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural property.

The preservation group and holders are the Seki Hachiman Shrine Higan Festival Preservation Society, and the location and place of transmission are in Seki, Tsuruga City.

Its public status is listed as suspended.