Kozushima’s bonito-fishing event

Festival highlights

A highlight is the scene in which a boat made of green bamboo passes through the shrine gate and makes a spirited circuit of the grounds.

Sweets and gift money are tossed from the boat and trees as spectators gather, while the young men take up fishing rods fitted with imitation bonito.

After the fishing performance, the event also features a return to port with a large catch flag raised, bidding by middlemen, and young men appearing dressed as island girls.

The event’s distinctive feature is its staging of fishing and the auction as one continuous play.

A boat made of green bamboo races around the shrine grounds in a ritual that passes down the island’s bonito fishery

What to expect

The event begins with the young men boarding the boat and gathering before the shrine deity to receive a purification blessing from a shrine priest.

After receiving bait, the boat circles the grounds, and the young men perform the motions of catching bonito with handlines, treating the people drawn to the bait as a school of bonito.

The boat then proceeds as if returning to port, raises a large catch flag, and moves on to the auction.

Once the winning bidder is decided, a tub is carried, and finally the boat withdraws to Ocho-ya, bringing the event to a close; a banquet celebrating the good catch is held on the shrine grounds.

How to take part

The fishing scenes and operation of the boat are carried out primarily by fishermen belonging to the island’s shipowners’ association and its three fishing-net groups.

Young men board the boat and take on different roles, acting out pole-and-line fishing and the bidding process.

Visitors can watch the event from the shrine grounds.

Check before the event whether general participants are being recruited and whether they can join as performers.

Source: 神津島のかつお釣り行事 ｜地域資源紹介記事 ｜ 東京都 地域資源（TOKYOイチオシナビ）

Location and access

Venue and address

It is held on the grounds of Monoi Mina no Mikoto Shrine (Kozushima Village).

The southern half of the shrine grounds is treated as a fishing ground during the event.

Source: 神津島の3つの神社｜神津島神社めぐり

Event venue 東京都神津島村 物忌奈命神社の

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

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Dates and season

It is opened to the public each year on August 2, in conjunction with the reisai of Monoi Mina no Mikoto Shrine.

The shrine’s reisai consists of an eve-of-festival celebration on July 31 and the main festival on August 1 and 2. The bonito-fishing event is said to take place on the afternoon of the 2nd.

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Tips for your visit

During the event, spectators gather around the boat to pick up sweets and gift money, making the shrine grounds crowded.

Scenes of children running between the boats have also been recorded, so when watching, take care around the performance route and watch the movements of people nearby.

As this is a ritual held on shrine grounds, it is important to watch from a place that does not obstruct the performers or shrine priests.

If you plan to visit on the event date, check in advance whether it is taking place that day and review local notices.

Origins and History of Kozushima’s bonito-fishing event

From the Edo period through the first half of the Meiji period, catching bonito with handlines thrived on Kozushima, and dried bonito supported life on the island.

The bonito-fishing event is said to have originated as a New Year’s ritual for good fortune, in which people fished during the first boat trip of the year, and later became part of the annual festival of Monoi Mina no Mikoto Shrine.

It was designated a Tokyo Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1958 and an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1999.

The fact that fishermen have passed it down in connection with their daily lives is also considered culturally important.

Official information

You can check the designation details and description of Kozushima’s bonito-fishing event in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.”

The preservation group is the Monoi Mina no Mikoto Shrine Bonito-Fishing Event Preservation Society.

Tokyo’s regional resources guide also introduces Monoi Mina no Mikoto Shrine, the venue, and the event.

Kozushima’s bonito-fishing event at a Glance

Kozushima’s bonito-fishing event is a traditional event in which the stages of fishing are acted out on the shrine grounds to pray for safe bonito fishing and a good catch.

The sequence includes setting out in a boat made of green bamboo, chumming and catching bonito with handlines, returning to port, and bidding at auction, offering a feel for the lives and faith of fishermen.

毎年8月2日の公開が案内されています。

When watching, take care in the crowded shrine grounds, where the boat and people’s movements converge.

Source: 神津島のかつお釣り行事 文化遺産オンライン