Tanomo-san

Place: Shinomiya Shrine (Momijidani Park) - Itsukushima Shrine

From 2014-08-25 to 2014-08-25

Tags: boat, sea, Shinomiya Shrine, Itsukushima Shrine

August 1st, by the old calendar is the day of the citrus, ‘Hassaku’. Islanders bring their Tanomo boats, wishing for a huge harvest, to Momiji dani Shinomiya Shrine, and after the boats are purified, they are released to float on the sea in accordance with the folk custom.

Origin

It used to be the common belief in Miyajima that the whole island was holy, and that the cultivation of the land was not allowed. There was a strict prohibition of agriculture, industry, weaving by machine, and putting the ‘Oinari’ Fox statue on the island. After the Meiji restoration, islanders lived by forestry, harvesting and carving the wood to make souvenirs, marketing them to earn a living. Islanders had very strong feelings of gratitude toward the agricultural products, even beyond our imagination. They built the Tanomo boat to express their feelings and put in dumpling dolls (rice balls coated with sweet red bean paste), fruits, and other offerings, then let the boats float across the water to Oinari in Ono cho where some agricultural products were grown. The feelings were mutual ever since, and this has been the folk custom of Minami Machi.