A traditional Kamiyama event where participants lift a giant mochi with one hand, offered with prayers
Kamiyama Mochisashi
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Location
- Around Zenpukuji Temple and the Kannon-do
- Area
- Shimane Prefecture・Unnan 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
- 2026/11/11
Kamiyama Mochisashi, passed down in Kamiyama, Yoshida-cho, Unnan City, is a traditional event combining offerings of mochi to Kamiyama Kannon with a test of strength in which participants lift a giant mochi with one hand. It has been passed down as a local intangible folk cultural property, with prayers for a bountiful harvest and the safety of the household.
About Kamiyama Mochisashi
Kamiyama Mochisashi is an intangible folk cultural property passed down in Kamiyama, Yoshida-cho, Unnan City.
After offering mochi to Kamiyama Kannon and praying for a bountiful harvest and the safety of the household, participants hold a mochi-lifting contest, raising the mochi with one hand.
The community makes mochi together, and carries its hopes forward through offerings and a test of strength.
Festival highlights
The highlight is a test of strength in which participants lift a giant mochi with one hand and compete to see how many times they can raise it.
In a documented event, a large mochi of 15 masu and a small one of 3 masu weighed about 45 kilograms together. People also spoke about how easy they were to lift depending on how dry the mochi was and how the rope was tied.
Children from the district and visitors from outside the district also took part in the challenge.
A traditional Kamiyama event where participants lift a giant mochi with one hand, offered with prayers
What to expect
At the event, a wooden handle is tied with rope to mochi made from glutinous rice, and young members of the household responsible for the event carry it to the Kannon-do.
In a documented event, the group carrying the mochi walked to the Kannon-do, letting out loud cries 7 times, and set down the offering.
This was followed by sutra chanting and incense offering by the priest, then a contest to lift the mochi with one hand. Finally, the giant mochi was cut into pieces.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Around Zenpukuji Temple and the Kannon-do, Kamiyama, Yoshida-cho, Unnan City
Address Kamiyama, Yoshida-cho, Unnan City
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Nearby attractions
かけや酒蔵資料館
島根県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
竹下登記念館
島根県雲南市にある博物館
須我神社
島根県雲南市大東町須賀にある神社
Origins and History of Kamiyama Mochisashi
Kamiyama Mochisashi is described as a traditional event that has continued for more than 180 years since 1840.
According to local tradition, during the Great Tenpo Famine, an epidemic spread and residents prayed to Kannon. The event is said to have begun when every household contributed glutinous rice to make a giant mochi, praying to ward off misfortune.
It is now designated an intangible folk cultural property of Unnan City.
Official information
Kamiyama Mochisashi is listed as an intangible folk cultural property in the list of Unnan City designated cultural properties published by Shimane Prefecture.
The Kamiyama Mochisashi Preservation Society is listed as the holder, and its location is Kamiyama, Yoshida-cho.
As a cultural property, it is described as an event featuring a mochi offering and mochi-lifting contest, with prayers for a bountiful harvest and the safety of the household.
Kamiyama Mochisashi at a Glance
Kamiyama Mochisashi is an intangible folk cultural property in Kamiyama, Yoshida-cho, Unnan City, where mochi is offered in prayer for a bountiful harvest and the safety of the household.
After “mochi-karage,” in which the mochi is tied with rope and carried to the Kannon-do, participants test their strength by lifting a giant mochi with one hand.
A traditional event said to have continued for more than 180 years since 1840, it brings prayer together with community effort.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
