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Participants dousing themselves with purifying water. (© Haga Library)
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Youths mount a three-meter pile of prayer sticks and sing folk songs. (© Haga Library)
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Children wearing oni (ogre) masks are carried to the festival site. (© Haga Library)
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The Somin-sai was held for the last time in 2024. Starting in 2025, only the ritual burning of prayer sticks will be held. (© Haga Library)
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February 17, 2024, saw the final battle to determine who captures the good luck amulets. The tori-nushi was moved to tears by the overflowing crowds. (© Haga Library)
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Throngs of participants in their loincloths. (© Haga Library)
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Participants reaching out for good fortune.(© Haga Library)
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The winners stick the shingi in a container filled with white rice. After the festival, local representatives offer prayers to the shingi. (© Haga Library)
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While most of the festival is not open to the public, there are no restrictions on viewing the ta-asobi portion. (© Haga Library)
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Purification ceremony inside a hall. (© Haga Library)
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An offering for fertility and a good harvest. (© Haga Library)
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The entrance to the sacred mountain is marked with a shimenawa rope. (© Haga Library)
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In 2023 the Kuronuma and Yawata gods descended and promised that the weather would be “fairly good” and the harvest would be “good.” (© Haga Library)
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