The traditional event “Shobu Rice Planting,” held to pray for a bountiful harvest, took place on May 5th—Children’s Day—at Tenman Shrine in Ichinono, Kumihama Town, Kyotango City. A young boy energetically tossed “irises” symbolizing rice seedlings into the air.

Shobu Rice Planting is a traditional event of the Ichinono district, located in the mountainous region at the uppermost reaches of the Kawakami Valley, and is registered as a Prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

That morning, children brought bundles of leaves—gathered from the mountains and fields—into the sacred enclosure within the shrine grounds, which was marked off on all sides by ropes. After the Shinto ritual at the shrine, about 20 participants ranging from preschoolers to junior high school students, dressed in white Tango chirimen happi coats and hand towels, gathered within the enclosure.

While adults in the Komori-do hall within the shrine grounds sang rice-planting songs, beating the floor with green bamboo, the children inside the sacred enclosure chanted “Shonbori, shonbori, rice planting” as they threw the leaves they were holding high into the air. They repeated the tossing motion with smiles on their faces, shielding their heads from the falling leaves.

Yuya Yasui (10) and Ginjiro Seto (10), both fifth-graders at Koryu Elementary School, said in unison, “It was fun.” Seto added, “I tried my best to throw it as high as possible.”

Copyright © The Kyoto Shinbun

Translated by Kyotango City Tourism Association