Purification Festivals: The Power of Fire and Water

A purification ritual under the Shasui Waterfall in Kanagawa Prefecture. (© Haga Library)

Plunging into the icy sea south of Hokkaidō. (© Haga Library)

A white cloth gripped between their teeth, the men brave the cold. (© Haga Library)

In the bitter cold of winter, performing ablutions requires stoicism. (© Haga Library)

Only once they have endured the ablutions are the men allowed to carry the goshintai. (© Haga Library)

The goshintai are bathed in the sea. (© Haga Library)

The Chiba shrine’s mikoshi are taken into the sea for purification. (© Haga Library)

The festival is also well-known for its fisherfolk songs celebrating good catches. (© Haga Library)

Transferring the shrine deity to the mikoshi. (© Haga Library)

At the fishing port, bearers fling a mikoshi up in the air, praying for bountiful catches and rich harvests. (© Haga Library)

The sea churns with hundreds of men carrying mikoshi. (© Haga Library)

Huge crowds race the mikoshi along. (© Haga Library)

A stunning display of lanterns fills the night sky. (© Haga Library)

At this festival, the devils exorcised at setsubun, the day before the beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar, drive out evil. (© Haga Library)

The “grandfather” and “grandmother” devils. The masks were supposedly carved by Unkei himself. (© Haga Library)

Vanquishing evil with a naginata polearm. (© Haga Library)

The giant torches are over two meters long. (© Haga Library)

The “grandchild” devil carrying the kagami mochi that promises happiness for the coming year. (© Haga Library)