The Shishiuchi Rite of Tōtōmi

The Shishiuchi Rite of Tōtōmi is a New Year’s ritual to ensure good fortune, passed down in the Kawana and Takizawa districts of Hamamatsu City. Participants shoot arrows at targets representing boars and deer, driving away birds and beasts and praying for a good hunt.

About The Shishiuchi Rite of Tōtōmi

The Shishiuchi Rite of Tōtōmi is a ritual held at the beginning of the year to ensure good fortune.

The tradition is passed down in the Kawana and Takizawa districts as a ritual to drive away birds and beasts that damage crops in the fields and pray for a good hunt.

In Kawana, targets representing boars and deer are used; in Takizawa, targets representing boars are used.

It is one example of a regionally distinctive tradition from Tōtōmi and is also associated with the Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property “Tōtōmi no Hiyondori to Okunai.”

Source: 国指定文化財等データベース

Festival highlights

A highlight is the targets shaped to represent boars and deer using plant branches and leaves.

In Kawana, targets representing boars are made from kōbana branches and leaves, and deer targets from branches and leaves. They are shot with bows made from paper mulberry wood and arrows made from female bamboo.

In Takizawa, two boar targets are made using aoki leaves and other materials, and two young men take turns shooting at them.

The distinctive Takizawa practice of kicking down the target at the end is another feature.

A traditional Tōtōmi event where participants shoot at boar and deer targets and pray for a good hunt

What to expect

The event takes place on .

In Kawana, targets representing a boar and a deer are set up in front of the shrine, and participants nock arrows and shoot at them.

In Takizawa, two boar targets are prepared. Two young men take turns shooting at one target each, after which the targets are kicked down to end the event.

Notice how the materials used for the targets and the sequence of events differ by district.

Location and access

Venue and address

In the Takizawa district, the event takes place around Shisho Shrine and Rinkeiji Temple at 1406 Takizawa-cho, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu City.

In the Kawana district, the event takes place on the grounds of Rokusho Shrine.

Source: 浜松市 - しずおか無形民俗文化財ナビ

Address 1406 Takizawa-cho, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu City (Shisho Shrine, Rinkeiji Temple) / The address for the Kawana district is currently being confirmed.

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Dates and season

The Takizawa district holds the event every year on January 1, and the Kawana district holds it every year on January 4.

In Takizawa, the venue is the grounds of Shisho Shrine; in Kawana, it is the grounds of Rokusho Shrine.

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写真：Tomio344456 / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Origins and History of The Shishiuchi Rite of Tōtōmi

The Shishiuchi Rite has been passed down as a New Year’s ritual to drive away birds and beasts and pray for a good hunt.

This regional tradition from Tōtōmi is found mainly around the borders of Mikawa, Shinano, and Tōtōmi.

Kawana and Takizawa differ in the materials used for the targets and the movements of the archers.

In Showa 60, it was selected as an “intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as documentation should be undertaken.” In Heisei 6, it was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property as part of “Tōtōmi no Hiyondori to Okunai.”

Official information

The National Cultural Properties Database provides the name, description, districts where it is held, and traditions associated with “The Shishiuchi Rite of Tōtōmi.”

Shizuoka Prefecture’s Intangible Folk Cultural Properties Navigator lists the date and venue for the Takizawa district under “Takizawa no Okunai.”