Japan's Kashima shrine launches once-every-12-yrs Mifune festival with 100-boat flotilla
KASHIMA, Ibaraki -- Kashima Jingu shrine in this east Japan city launched its Mifune Matsuri festival water procession on Sept. 2, with a ceremonial b
Kashima Jingu shrine in northeastern Japan inaugurated the Mifune Matsuri festival, a water procession held once every 12 years, on September 2nd. A ceremonial boat carrying the shrine deity traversed Lake Kitaura and other waterways, flanked by approximately 100 vessels. The Mifune Matsuri, a traditional event associated with the Year of the Horse, dates back roughly 2,000 years, as evidenced by the ancient Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki records compiled during the Nara period (710-784 AD).
The festival's origins are recorded in these historical documents. On the morning of September 2nd, a mikoshi portable shrine bearing the deity departed from Kashima Jingu. Guided by horse-mounted riders clad in jinbaori sleeveless battle surcoats, around 2,500 participants donned traditional attire like hitatare robes and chihaya garments, parading through the city.
The mikoshi subsequently embarked on a water journey to Katori Jingu shrine in Katori, Chiba Prefecture, aboard a ceremonial boat adorned with a dragon head at its bow. This procession commenced from the Ichino Torii waterside shrine gate on the Wani River, crafting a vivid tableau reminiscent of historical events.
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