Kakui’s rice-planting ritual, praying for a bountiful harvest through a mock ox plowing the fields
The Otaue Shinji at Kakui Hachimangu Shrine
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Around July 15 every year. Today, it is held on a holiday close to July 15. / Every year
- Location
- Kakui Hachimangu Shrine
- Area
- Shimane Prefecture・Iinan Town(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 40 min · flight time only)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Otaue , handed down at Kakui Hachimangu Shrine in Kakui, Iinan Town, is a ritual praying to the rice-field deity for a bountiful harvest. After a procession around the shrine accompanied by rice-planting music, traditional farming tasks such as an ox plowing the fields and rice planting are reenacted.
About The Otaue Shinji at Kakui Hachimangu Shrine
The Otaue Shinji at Kakui Hachimangu Shrine is a rice-field deity festival handed down in Kakui, Iinan Town.
During the farming break, after fieldwork has wound down, locals worship the rice-field deity known as Sanbai and pray for a bountiful harvest.
The festival retains its simple form of reenacting farming tasks such as rice planting, and is designated an intangible folk cultural property by the town.
Festival highlights
The main highlight is “an ox plowing the fields,” performed by a person dressed as an ox and wearing a grass crown.
Chanting “hara hara hara hara,” said to represent the ox’s breathing, the performer depicts a scene from fieldwork.
This is followed by “rice planting” and “striking reeds,” allowing visitors to see farming tasks presented as a sequence of rituals.
Kakui’s rice-planting ritual, praying for a bountiful harvest through a mock ox plowing the fields
What to expect
The rites begin in the , followed by a procession around the shrine led by “Hayashiko,” the rice-planting music.
Afterward, the reenactments of farming tasks—including an ox plowing the fields, rice planting, and striking reeds—move to the courtyard in front of the haiden.
The Kakui Hayashiko Preservation Society takes the lead in carrying out this festival, which has been handed down in the community.
How to take part
The rites are carried out by local people, with the Kakui Hayashiko Preservation Society taking the lead.
Please check the event information to find out whether members of the general public can take part as participants in the rituals.
When watching, please follow the progress of the rites and any instructions given on the .
Source: 八幡宮 - 神社詳細 | 島根県神社庁
Location and access
- Venue and address
Kakui Hachimangu Shrine (436 Kakui, Iinan, Iishi District, Shimane Prefecture).
Address 436 Kakui, Iinan, Iishi District, Shimane Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Around July 15 every year.
Today, it is held on a holiday close to July 15.
- Frequency
Every year
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Shimane Prefecture / Iinan Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The rites take place in the haiden and courtyard of Kakui Hachimangu Shrine.
If you watch, please follow the progress of the rites and any instructions on the shrine grounds, and avoid obstructing the procession around the shrine or the rituals in the courtyard.
It is important to watch respectfully, including when the person playing the ox wears a grass crown and performs traditional movements.
Nearby attractions
三瓶山
島根県の山
Origins and History of The Otaue Shinji at Kakui Hachimangu Shrine
The founding date of Kakui Hachimangu Shrine is unknown, but its original shrine is said to have stood at the foot of Mount Sanbe and to have been an ancient shrine dedicated to the god of the rice fields.
A ridgepole tablet recording the shrine’s reconstruction in Daiei 4 (1524) remains in the shrine building.
In the past, the Otaue Shinji was held during the farming break on day 15 of lunar month 6; today, it continues to be held on a holiday close to July 15.
Official information
Iinan Town lists the Otaue Shinji at Kakui Hachimangu Shrine as a town-designated intangible folk cultural property.
The shrine’s history and special rites can also be confirmed in the shrine details provided by the Shimane Prefecture Shrine Association.
Information about the festival period describes it as being held on a holiday close to July 15 or July 15.
The Otaue Shinji at Kakui Hachimangu Shrine at a Glance
The Otaue Shinji at Kakui Hachimangu Shrine is a rice-planting ritual praying for a bountiful harvest, handed down in Kakui, Iinan Town.
After the rites in the haiden and a procession around the shrine, farming tasks such as an ox plowing the fields and rice planting are reenacted.
Designated an intangible folk cultural property by the town, this festival keeps tradition alive through the ox role wearing a grass crown and the rice-planting music.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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