Shimanto City, Kochi Prefecture — Little Kyoto of Tosa What is the Little Kyoto of Tosa? About 550 years ago, amid the Onin War, Lord Norifusa Ichijo, the former kampaku, relocated to Nakamura (now Shimanto City) and established his residence there. In homage to Kyoto, he laid the foundations for shrine and temple construction and the development of the town. ※kampaku: the highest court noble post assisting the emperor Lord Ichijo’s move brought many Kyoto cultural elements to the area and fostered local pride. Even today, place names and shrines recalling Kyoto—such as Gion, Kyomachi, Kamogawa, and Higashiyama—remain. Because the community has long preserved ties with Kyoto, the Nakamura district of Shimanto City is known as the Little Kyoto of Tosa. The town, however, sits in a region prone to natural disasters. Flooding of the Shimanto River, fires, and earthquakes have erased most old buildings, yet the grid-like street pattern formed from the medieval to early modern periods still survives. History of the Tosa Ichijo Family The Tosa Ichijo family began when Lord Norifusa Ichijo moved in 1468 (Onin 2) to Hata no shō in western Kochi Prefecture (present-day Shimanto City), his hereditary estate. The lord directly managed the manor, controlled logistics along the Shimanto River basin, and laid the groundwork for the town to prosper as a trading hub linking Kyushu and Kansai. Norifusa’s son Fusaie remained as a local lord instead of returning to Kyoto, expanding Hata no shō and bringing the Tosa Ichijo clan to its peak. The Tosa Ichijo governed this land as court nobles-turned-daimyo for 106 years—through Fusafuyu, Fusaki, and Kanesada—until they were driven into Bungo by Motochika Chōsokabe in 1574 (Tensho 2). Historic sites that evoke the Ichijo family Tama-hime’s grave Tamahime, a daughter of Prince Fushimi-no-miya Kunitaka and the wife of Ichijo Fusafuyu, came to Nakamura in 1521 (Dai-ei 1) when she married. Because she arrived on June 22 and died on August 22, the 22nd of every month is still affectionately observed by locals as Tamahime Day. Fuwa Hachimangu Shrine During the Bunmei era (1469–1487), the Ichijo family invited the kami from Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine in Kyoto to serve as the protective shrine for Hata. The honden preserves Muromachi-period architectural style and is the oldest shrine building in Kochi Prefecture, designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Ichijo Shrine Established in 1862 (Bunkyū 2) on a plot of the former Nakamura Gosho Site by local volunteers honoring the Tosa Ichijo legacy, the shrine precinct contains Ichijo-related historic features such as the makeup well and the “never-blooming” wisteria. Shimanto City Museum "Shirotto" This castle-shaped museum stands within the Nakamura Castle Ruins. From its keep-like building you can look out over the Shimanto River and Higashiyama and enjoy sweeping views of the town. The museum exhibits valuable materials on Shimanto’s nature and culture, as well as the history of the Tosa Ichijo, the Nakamura Yamauchi family, late-Edo period patriots, and Shimanto-born socialist Kotoku Shusui. Festivals and events that evoke Little Kyoto Seasonal events that recall Kyoto culture are held here, including the Tosa Ichijo Kuge Gyoretsu Fuji Matsuri (May), the Daimonji Okuribi bonfire (lunar calendar July 16), the Fuwa Hachimangu Grand Festival (September), and the Ichijo Grand Festival with the Sacred Fire Procession (November). Shimanto City carries a deep historical bond with Kyoto and a living tradition of inherited culture and performing arts. It is for these reasons, and its historical name Nakamura, that the area came to be called Little Kyoto of Tosa—Nakamura. A history linked to Kyoto, a culture passed down through generations. Come and feel the charm that makes Shimanto City known as the Little Kyoto of Tosa.

We will take a guided tour of some of the Annual Grand Festivals scheduled for 25/10/14 (Tue), 15 (Water), and 16 (Thu) at Ishioka Shrine and Isono Shrine. Walk through the autumn Halle day with a knowledgeable guide. Please enjoy the splendid Cypress trees sculptures of Mizuju, flowers, birds, wind and moon, human figures, gold and silver thread sewing, and a gorgeous festival rituals with many lanterns flickering in the early morning. Tour guide Hajime Kono [Request for participation] ・ Application for those who can walk the number of km displayed on each tour menu (Walk through Traditional Japanese straw raincoat for the whole process) ・Please check the flyer for the number of applicants and groups. ・ This itinerary assumes those who plan to stay at Hotels near JR Iyo Saijo Station. 【Menu and Fee】 Please check from the image. Combinable. Contact us for details. Time is indicative. Those who make a reservation will be mailed a separate travel condition form and application form. 【Reservations and Inquiries】 Saijo City Tourism and Products Association Ehime Prefectural Governor Registered Travel Agency No. 3-201　 Person in charge: Tamai, Fujita 〒793-0030　 798-1 Omachi, Saijo-shi, Ehime TEL:0897-56-2605　 FAX:0897-47-3733

The Saijo City Tourism Exchange Center has started selling the 25th edition of the Saijo Festival poster and calendar. 【25th edition Saijo Festival poster vertical / horizontal】 B1 (728×1030mm) size Product price: 400 yen (tax included) / piece Image 1 Portrait Image 2 Horizontal 【FY25 Saijo Festival Calendar】 A2 (610×425mm) size Product price: 1,300 yen (tax included) / part Image 3 Calendar Both products are sold at the following locations: Saijo City Tourism Exchange Center (798-1 Omachi, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 793-0030) In.

On Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16, we held the 57th Atami Kogashi Festival Float Competition. During the day, the rites of Kinomiya Shrine’s annual festival and the procession of the portable shrine took place, and at night 23 floats gathered on the national highway. Scenes from the festival https://www.ataminews.gr.jp/features/54...

I was finally able to go to the Tengu fire walk, which I had been wanting to Outbound for a long time Fly to New Chitose Airports 3 hours by rental car I finally arrived at Kotohira Shrine The fire crossing of the tengu that I saw here was solemn and mysterious

Gion Shrine Summer Festival July 15 was the Gion Shrine’s summer festival⛩ We covered the Morimaki ritual held before the ceremony📷 They shaped the makaya grass gathered that morning into the form of Yamata no Orochi💪 Makaya is stiff, and twisting large amounts at once is a real challenge😅 Still, the Morimaki Ritual Preservation Society finished it with impressive skill✨ The amazake prepared overnight also turned out exceptionally tasty this year😆 There were many more visitors this year, which made us happy😁 The local community cherishes their “Gion-san” It will surely continue together with the community going forward🥰

A water‑welcoming ritual took place on the Saigawa River flowing through Azumino. At the confluence of the Saigawa, Takasegawa, and Hotakagawa rivers, a Shinto ceremony was held to pray for a bountiful harvest for the year, the prevention of water disasters, and the development of tourism. We give thanks for the blessings of water that flow down from the Northern Alps.

The annual grand festival of Unabishi Shrine will take place on April 8th. The Ono Mai (King’s Dance), designated as a Nationally Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property, is scheduled to be performed around noon. ※The time may change, so please arrive early. ※Unabishi Shrine is located in Wakasa Town, and the shrine parishioner villages span both Mihama Town and Wakasa Town. https://wakasa-mihama.jp/spot/%E5%AE%87%E6%B3%A2%E8%A5%BF%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE%E7%8E%8B%E3%81%AE%E8%88%9E/...

Held in on Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, February 2 Held in a safety prayer festival for the Bibai Snow Festival. Finally, the production of a large snow sculpture with a slide will begin! From now on, a large number of members of the Self-Defense Forces will start working in the extreme cold every day! We look forward to seeing you on the day! The 72nd Bibai Snow Festival 2025.02.01sat10:00～18:00 2025.02.02sun10:00～15:00 Bibai City Central Park

Today, Sunday, January 12, the 40th Donton-yaki festival was held at Atami Sun Beach. This annual event is a long-standing tradition jointly organized by the ten neighborhood associations of the eastern and central districts. This year too, residents and tourists gathered to circle the piled New Year decorations called an ‘onbe’. At 11:00 a Shinto ceremony was performed by Chief Priest Amemiya of Kinomiya Shrine, and after the ritual the priest lit the fire. The ‘onbe’ blazed up vigorously as everyone prayed for health, academic success, prosperous business, and protection from fires. The photos look a bit dark, but it was actually sunny! Tourists who happened to pass by also stopped to watch this traditional New Year event.

About a 3-minute walk from JR Oito Line Hotaka Station Snow has begun to fall at Hotaka Shrine, bringing a true winter feeling Come visit for New Year’s Eve shrine visits or Hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year) Visit Hotaka Shrine’s official website here https://www.hotakajinja.com// Visit Hotaka Shrine’s Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/hotakajinja/...

On Sunday, September 8th, the children’s festival at Hotaka Shrine featured child-drawn boats pulled from three town districts. Each boat was paraded through its district, and before noon they gathered at Hotaka Shrine to be offered in dedication. Children from the districts acted as pullers as the boat-shaped floats, called ofune, moved through the streets of Azumino. On September 26th and 27th, the Hotaka Shrine Ofune Festival takes place. On the 27th, a hands-on tour organized by the tourism association lets participants, together with local residents, pull a large adult boat weighing over five tons. For details, please check the official tourism association website.

Wasshoi Festival Experience Tour—an annual celebration The towering floats parade at Hotaka Shrine’s "Ofune Festival" Let’s pull the ofune together! …We have started selling tickets for this hands-on tour! Held every year on September 26 and 27 at Hotaka Shrine, this festival features boat-shaped floats pulled through a landlocked prefecture On the main day, the 27th, the spectacular "Ofune Battle" draws crowds as massive five-ton hulls collide in a fierce display This tour offers the rare chance to help pull one of these ofune Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the Ofune Festival in person! Tour perks 1. Try pulling the huge adult ofune—normally handled only by locals—up to Hotaka Shrine! 2. Receive a stylish Ofune Festival T-shirt and wear it proudly during the event! 3. Enjoy a special limited-edition "Ofune Festival" goshuin paper as a keepsake! 4. Watch the climactic moment when the two adult boats collide from reserved seats right next to the action! 5. Boost your luck at Hotaka Shrine, a powerful local power spot! For details, please check the official Azumino City Tourism Association website

An annual sacred ritual and ultra-rare experience tour "Board the divine boat ‘Ryuto Gishu’ at Myojin Pond, a sacred landing in the Northern Alps! Formal worship at Hotaka Shrine Oku-no-miya and autumn foliage in Kamikochi" This one-day special plan begins with a walk from the autumn-colored Kamikochi Bus Terminal to Myojin Pond, where after observing a Shinto ritual at Hotaka Shrine Oku-no-miya you will take part in a formal shrine visit and board two divine boats—Ryuto and Gishu—on Myojin Pond, the sacred precinct of Hotaka Shrine. Please take this opportunity to enjoy a mystical experience For details, check the official Azumino City Tourism Association website.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 27th and 28th, the summer festival of Wakaichioji Shrine, one of the nation's Important Cultural Properties, will take place. The children's yabusame (mounted archery), a rare sight nationwide, will move hearts with its charming display of courage. A procession of children and the coordinated stage parade pulling will also be held. Please come and enjoy this historic festival.

Photographed on July 6, 24. It is a wind chime at the edge of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. We are exorcising the wind chime shelf.

On June 30, the halfway point of the year, a Kaya no Rinokuguri Shinto ritual was held at the Shirahama Town Shrine to purify the defilements of the past six months and pray for a disease-free life in the second half.

This kagura has been handed down since the founding of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and has a history of more than 800 years. It was destroyed by fire, and there is a Tradition that it was used when Minamoto no Yoritomo relocated the palace for reconstruction. The Kagura will be held on December 16 at the Imperial Throne Memorial Festival, and the "Miyajin Song" that was chanted at that time will be played in the north garden of the Maiden, and the dance music "The Dance of the Chief" will also be performed. The appearance of dancing only with a Bonfire is elegant, and the ethereal world of the distant past is Reproduction. (Photography is allowed, but not only flash, but also shutter sound, fill light, and light leakage from the image monitor are prohibited.) Shinto ritual, not just sightseeing)

It is a Kamakura Yabusame horse performed at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura (Japan Heritage). It is a traditional Shinto ritual in which a dignified archer in the form of a warrior shoots a target with a bow and arrow from a galloping horseback riding. According to history, "In Kamakura, Minamoto no Yoritomo first made a dedication to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine on August 15, 1187." This Yabusame Shinto ritual is still being held on the Annual Grand Festival of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (September 16). It is a brave and solemn Shinto ritual where you can feel the breath of the Kamakura period. Feel the history in the traditional events of the historic town.

It is a Yutachi Shinto ceremony at Ishishimizu Hachimangu Shrine, and it is a Setsubun event that calls for spring, which is held at 10 o'clock on January 28 2024 Reiwa 6. This year, it was sunny and strongly backlit, so I used strobe photography to highlight the steam and drops.

It is a fire burning festival "Fire Burning Shrine" at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Kyoto. It's very cool to throw in a "fire skewers".

The charms of Japan include cherry blossoms and Kyoto. During the cherry blossom season in Kyoto, the fox bride of Kodaiji Temple is married. A bride in solid white wears a fox mask and conducts a lantern procession. It's quite an interesting event.

Oi Shrine is the water god of the Oi River, and there is a kami pond with clear water in its precincts, and the pure water from an old well flows into the precincts. The water temperature is almost constant all year round, so it feels cold in summer and warm in winter. The first pond was built in the precincts of the shrine in 1915, about 100 years ago, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the relocation of Oi Shrine to the land of Shimada, and was built around the current parking lot on the side of the shrine office by the services of the veterans at that time. The current pond was moved to the center of the precincts in 1985 during the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Emperor Showa's accession to the throne, and it is more magnificent in size and scenery than the previous pond. Now it is indispensable in the precincts, and it is a beautiful water scenery of the water god.

【English/Japanese】 I went to the rooster market in Hachioji with some of my students! There is an Otori Shrine about a 5-minute walk from Hachioji Station. I was impressed by the lucky and gorgeous decorations. Moreover, the sight of shopkeepers calling out good luck to customers who buy them was just like Japanese culture, and the students were very excited. On the way home, we bought a specialty of the rooster market, kirisansho rice cakes covered with a spice called sansho. It was very delicious. There are two more rooster fairs to come. We hope you will visit the rooster market as well. I went to the Hachioji Tori no Ichi with my students! There is Otori Shrine about a 5-minute walk from Hachioji Station. Impressed by the auspicious and luxurious decoration. In addition, the sight of the shop staff shouting auspicious things to customers who bought them was a reflection of Japanese culture itself, and the students were also excited. On the way back, I bought Tori no Ichi's famous kiri sansho mochi sprinkled with spices called sansho. It was very tasty. There are two more Tori no Ichi. Please come and visit us.