Goza-bune Ritual at Kameo-yama Shrine

Festival highlights

The highlight is the goza-bune assembled from madake bamboo.

The boat is 1.5 meters wide and 7.5 meters long. It is mounted on a wheeled platform and decorated.

On arrival at the honden, the gohei carried on the boat is offered, and the ritual ends with the goza-bune circling before the deities.

A nighttime ritual as a madake-bamboo goza-bune travels through a mountain village and concludes with prayers before the deities

What to expect

The goza-bune is built and taken in procession by 30 young men from among the shrine’s ujiko.

They assemble the boat’s frame from large pieces of madake bamboo, mount it on a wheeled platform, decorate it, and take it to Kameo-yama Shrine.

At the honden, a gohei is offered, and the boat is circled before the deities to complete the ritual.

How to take part

必要人数：30人（御座船の製作と渡御を担う若連中）

Location and access

Venue and address

Kameo-yama Shrine (Kawane, Takamiya-cho, Akitakata City)

Event venue 広島県安芸高田市 亀尾山神社

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

Dates and season

Season

The night of day 17 of lunar month 6

Accommodation and hotels PR

Origins and History of Goza-bune Ritual at Kameo-yama Shrine

This ritual is held at Kameo-yama Shrine, which enshrines the same three goddesses as Itsukushima Shrine, and is modeled on the Kangen Festival.

Its distinctive feature is its portrayal of a sea ritual through the construction, procession, offering, and circling of a goza-bune.

It was designated in Heisei 12 January 17, and the Kawane Jūshichiya Executive Committee serves as its preservation group.

Official information

The official Akitakata City page provides information about the Goza-bune Ritual at Kameo-yama Shrine, its cultural-property designation, and its preservation group.

For inquiries, contact the Akitakata City Board of Education Secretariat.

Goza-bune Ritual at Kameo-yama Shrine at a Glance

The Goza-bune Ritual at Kameo-yama Shrine is a ritual performed by the shrine’s ujiko on the night of day 17 of lunar month 6.

Thirty young men build the goza-bune from madake bamboo, mount and decorate it on a wheeled platform, and take it in procession to Kameo-yama Shrine.

The ritual’s connection to Itsukushima Shrine’s Kangen Festival is reflected in the sequence of offering a gohei at the honden and circling the goza-bune before the deities.