Nomi no Shiobakari

Festival highlights

A highlight is the Shiobakari made from rooted bamboo roughly 10-odd meters long.

Paper strips are attached to the top, and 12 willows adorn the center. As they head toward the coast, the young men raise the bamboo and thrust it into the ground.

The event is distinguished by its sequence of ground-tamping to kiyari work songs, a bonfire on the coast, and planting the bamboo in the sea at low tide.

A Little New Year’s event entrusting hopes for fishing to rooted bamboo planted by the sea

What to expect

Bamboo is cut from the day before the event through the evening of the event itself, and Shiobakari and sanyari are made.

On the day of the event, the young men gather at the toya house. After being purified by the chief priest of Suga Shrine, they tamp the ground as they proceed from the open space toward the coast.

At the shore, they rearrange decorations such as willows and lanterns, then plunge into the sea at low tide to plant the Shiobakari.

Location and access

Venue and address

Nomi District, Susaki City / Coast at Ebisu-zaki

Address Nomi District, Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture

Dates and season

Season

Every year on day 14 of lunar month 1

Frequency

Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Origins and History of Nomi no Shiobakari

Nomi no Shiobakari has been passed down by fishermen in the Nomi district, where fishing has long been a way of life.

In the past, the heads of 4 fishing-net groups took turns serving as toya, but with the introduction of aquaculture, the net-group heads declined in importance. Today, the Nomi Shiobakari Preservation Society is central to keeping the tradition alive.

Households in the 3 districts of East, Central, and West take turns serving as toya.

In 2003, the event was selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which measures such as documentation should be undertaken by the national government.

Official information

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Heritage Online and National Cultural Properties Database provide information on Nomi no Shiobakari, including an overview, publication date, preservation organization, and its selection as a cultural property.

It is also listed in Kochi Prefecture’s cultural properties directory as an event in Nomi, Susaki City, together with the Nomi Shiobakari Preservation Society.

Nomi no Shiobakari at a Glance

Nomi no Shiobakari is a Little New Year’s event connected to the fishing culture of the Nomi district in Susaki City.

The young men carry a large decorated rooted bamboo, tamp the ground to kiyari work songs, and finally plant it in the sea at low tide late at night.

The prayers for safety and a good catch in the coming year, and the divination of the year’s harvest from the bamboo’s tilt, reflect the community’s way of life and hopes.