Yabu’s Nettei Sumo

Festival highlights

A highlight is the sequence of movements in which two adult men in kataginu and hakama hold swords aloft and advance by hopping with both feet.

After removing their clothing from the waist up, they stamp the ground, embrace each other around the neck, and hop around to the right.

Unlike conventional sumo, there is no ring or referee, and the participants do not compete to win or lose.

Source: まちの文化財（49） 養父のネッテイ相撲／養父市

Okumiji’s hono sumo, preserving tradition through sasa dancing and leaps

What to expect

On the day of the festival, shinji are held from the afternoon. Afterward, a sasa dance called Hoiyara Odori is performed as a hono offering in front of Tawa Jinja.

Next, two adult men receive swords from the shinshoku and perform bows, foot stomps, and movements in which they embrace each other around the neck and hop about in the middle clearing.

Afterward, they return the swords to the shinshoku, and a children’s sumo match takes place in the lowest ring.

How to take part

必要人数：成人男子2人

Location and access

Venue and address

Okumeji, Mizutani Shrine grounds

Event venue 兵庫県養父市 水谷神社

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

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Dates and season

Season

Records indicate that it is held every October, on the second Sunday.

Frequency

Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Origins and History of Yabu’s Nettei Sumo

Accounts note that the sasa dance was performed as a hono offering at Ifukube Jinja in Izushi in Tenpo 9.

Nettei Sumo is interpreted as a shinji that follows the tradition of Setsue Sumo, performed at the imperial court during the Heian period.

Records say that in the past, members of the group assigned miyato-ban duties performed the hono, but today the same people continue to do so regardless of who has those duties.

Official information

The Yabu City Board of Education features the sasa dance and Nettei Sumo, performed as hono offerings at Mizutani Jinja in Okumiji, as “Cultural Properties of Our Town.”

The National Designated Cultural Properties Database also provides information about the event’s origins, movements, and preservation group.

Yabu’s Nettei Sumo at a Glance

Yabu’s Nettei Sumo is a hono ritual held during the festival at Mizutani Jinja, expressing prayers to pacify evil spirits and gratitude for a plentiful harvest.

Following the afternoon shinji and sasa dance, a distinctive sumo ritual is performed without a ring or contest, culminating in a children’s sumo match.

This local festival has been passed down with support from the ujiko of Okumiji, including through the rotating miyato-ban duties.