Ooka’s Tanemaki-e: Connecting the Waters of Mount Hijiri with Prayers for the Harvest
Takamine-ji’s Tanemaki-e
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on January 3 / Every year
- Location
- Daigongen-do
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Nagano City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 50 min · bullet train)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.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
In Ooka, Nagano City, blessed by water from Mount Hijiri, Takamine-ji’s Tanemaki-e is held to pray for a good harvest and life-giving rain. Through prayers and harvest divinations at Daigongen-do, visitors can experience a local culture in which mountain worship and farmers’ livelihoods are intertwined.
About Takamine-ji’s Tanemaki-e
Takamine-ji’s Tanemaki-e is an agricultural event passed down at Takamine-ji in Ooka, Nagano City.
It has been held as a custom of praying for a good harvest and divining crop yields and rainfall.
It vividly reflects the connection between water flowing from Mount Hijiri and farming in the surrounding area, and is also designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Nagano City.
Source: 高峰寺の種蒔会 - ジャパンサーチ
Festival highlights
A highlight is the offering of a kanjohei—a willow twig bearing a talisman of Hijiri-san Daigongen—and the performance of ritual prayers.
In addition, the fortunes of the five grains and sericulture are divined through a practice known as o-hanji.
A distinctive method linking agriculture and faith has been passed down: seeds of early- and mid-season rice, barley, wheat, soybeans, and other crops, along with seed water, are used, and the grains on a sheet of paper are counted to make a divination.
Ooka’s Tanemaki-e: Connecting the Waters of Mount Hijiri with Prayers for the Harvest
What to expect
The event takes place at Daigongen-do, where a kanjohei is offered and prayers are performed, followed by divinations about crop yields and rainfall.
Afterward, the kanjohei are distributed to farmers in villages belonging to the water system flowing from Mount Hijiri. The farmers place them at the water inlets of their rice nurseries and pray for a good harvest.
The entire event embodies the belief that the mountain’s Gongen descends to the villages, bringing abundant water and protecting agriculture.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Daigongen-do.
Source: 樋知大神社（ひじりだいじんじゃ） - ながのシティプロモーション
Event venue 長野県長野市 大権現堂
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
- Season
Every year on January 3
- 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 Nagano Prefecture / Nagano City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
北野美術館
長野県長野市にある美術館
戸隠神社
長野県長野市の戸隠山周辺に五社を配する神社
長野県信濃美術館・東山魁夷館
長野県長野市にあった美術館
長野県立美術館
長野県長野市にある美術館
写真：photo: Qurren ( talk ) Taken with Canon PowerShot G9 X / CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source ·Origins and History of Takamine-ji’s Tanemaki-e
Takamine-ji’s Tanemaki-e is an event passed down through a faith that connects the waters of Mount Hijiri with agriculture.
The custom of bringing a kanjohei to farmers’ rice nurseries has continued, based on the belief that the mountain’s Gongen descends to the villages and brings abundant water.
Accounts differ on whether the event has died out in recent years or efforts are being made to continue it, so uncertainty remains about whether it is currently held.
Official information
Takamineji Temple’s Tanemaki-e is one of the intangible folk cultural properties designated by Nagano City.
The city’s cultural property list gives the festival’s name among properties in the same category.
Takamine-ji’s Tanemaki-e at a Glance
Takamine-ji’s Tanemaki-e is a traditional event in Ooka, Nagano City, held to pray for the blessings of water from Mount Hijiri and a bountiful harvest.
It is distinctive for prayers at Daigongen-do and divinations using seeds and seed water to predict harvests and rainfall.
The custom of placing a kanjohei at the water inlet of a rice nursery also shows how closely mountain worship is tied to farmers’ livelihoods.
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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