A prayer observance in Tokuoji that divines the harvest by whether crows eat the mochi on the roof
Karasu-gui observance
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- day 1 of lunar month 1・May 5・September 9 / 3 times a year
- Location
- Wakaichi Oji-gu
- Area
- Kochi Prefecture・Konan City(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
- 2026/10/26
The Karasu-gui observance is a divination ritual involving crows and mochi, passed down at Wakaichi Oji-gu in Tokuoji, Kagami-cho, Konan City. The abundance or scarcity of the harvest is divined from whether crows eat the gozen mochi offered on the roof. The observance embodies prayers for peace throughout the land, abundant harvests of the five grains, and prosperity for all.
About Karasu-gui observance
The Karasu-gui observance is an annual event held at Wakaichi Oji-gu in Tokuoji, Kagami-cho, Konan City.
Gozen-age mochi, pounded during the day, is offered on the roof at midnight, and the abundance or scarcity of the harvest is divined by whether the crows eat it by morning.
It is said that if the crows eat the mochi, the prayers will be answered and the harvest will be good. Prayers are offered for peace throughout the land, abundant harvests of the five grains, and prosperity for all.
It is also distinctive for being performed in the same form 3 times a year.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
Festival highlights
Highlights include offering gozen mochi at the eaves of the shrine’s honden and checking the next morning whether the crows have eaten it.
At midnight, a climbs a ladder to place the mochi on the roof, recites prayers, and worships.
is then offered in the . After the next-morning check, all the representatives strike the large 5 times each.
The observance is distinctive in moving from nighttime to a morning divination, with mochi as the connecting element.
A prayer observance in Tokuoji that divines the harvest by whether crows eat the mochi on the roof
What to expect
According to the records, the observance on January 1 begins with a salt-water purification at the shore on the morning of New Year’s Eve, and continues with an overnight stay at the shrine until the next morning.
After cleaning the , making mochi, visiting the small shrines in a Komiya-mairi, and holding a small evening gathering, shinji and the of gozen mochi take place at midnight.
In the morning, they check whether the crows have eaten the mochi, and strike the large taiko at the end of the shinji.
The mochi is made in several forms, including gozen-age mochi, layered mochi for the Moon deity, layered mochi for prayers, and pieces of mochi for the Sun deity.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Wakaichi Oji-gu, Tokuoji, Kagami-cho, Konan City
Address Tokuoji, Kagami-cho, Konan City
Dates and season
- Season
day 1 of lunar month 1・May 5・September 9
- Frequency
3 times a year
Accommodation and hotels PR
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Nearby attractions
四国自動車博物館
高知県香南市野市町にある自動車とオートバイの博物館
絵金蔵
高知県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
写真：京浜にけ at Japanese Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·
高知県立のいち動物公園
高知県香南市にある動物園
Origins and History of Karasu-gui observance
The Karasu-gui observance is thought to be similar to the “Karasu-kanjo” and “Karasu-yobi” practices found throughout Japan, in which crows are given mochi or rice and the quality of the harvest is divined.
At the same time, its local characteristics include being held 3 times a year and the absence of reports of similar practices elsewhere in Kochi Prefecture.
On March 13, 2008, it was selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property requiring measures such as the creation of a record.
The explanation issued at the time of its selection also noted the risk that the observance could become merely formal, decline, or change.
Official information
The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties lists the Karasu-gui observance as an “Intangible Folk Cultural Property requiring measures such as the creation of a record.”
The preservation organization is the Wakaichi Oji-gu Sōdaikai. In the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ records, the location is given as Tokuoji, Kagami-cho, Konan City, Kochi Prefecture, and the venue as Wakaichi Oji-gu.
Karasu-gui observance at a Glance
The Karasu-gui observance is a divination ritual involving crows and mochi, held 3 times a year at Wakaichi Oji-gu.
Gozen mochi is offered on the honden roof, and the harvest is divined from whether the crows eat it, while prayers are offered for peace throughout the land and abundant harvests of the five grains.
The observance is passed down as a sequence that continues from night into morning, from the midnight shinji and kagura to the next-morning check and the hono of the large taiko.
As a rare example of local culture, it became the subject of a record in 2008.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/26
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