Ichikishimahime Shrine enshrines Ichikishimahime who is the god of sea and the god of water, also close to `Benten-san' which controls entertainment and treasure.
Chozuya for Sai Shrine.
Now, we can see Sai Shrine.
Haiden.
Miko, a shrine maiden, is praying.
We can draw water as `sacred water' which works for all sorts of disease.
Before the mountain pligrimage, we have to apply to the shrine office at Sai shrine, and listen to rules about mountain pligrimage, so if you can't understand or speak Japanese, you will need a Japanese speaker to explain their directions to you.
It costs 300 yen per person.
It was 9:00am when we started our climb.
It's the entrance for Mount Miwa. It was quite hard and took 2hours 30 min.
Here is the front of Haiden.
From 11:00 they started the ceremony for `Setsubun', the last day of winter according to the old calender.
At about 11:30, Toshi Otoko and Toshi Onna, men or women born in the year current under the twelve-year cycle of the Oriental zodiac, throwing beans and charms and Kohaku-mochi*(red and white rice cake).
Mi no kami sugi
The sacred tree which was named because a white snake considered to be an incarnation of Omononushi lived. It's said to be 500years old.
The legendary cedar that it was sung with "Miwa" Noh songs when the clothes which Genpin,
the Buddhist priest, gave the village woman of the incarnation of Miwa's God.
Only the stock is stored.
What we brougt home!
It was first time for me to visit Shrine on Setsubun. I usually watch the Setsubun festival on TV.
I really enjoyed and I want to visit another shrine on for setsubun next year.
Thank you for reading this!
I hope your day goes well.