Kashima Shrine - Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival

Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival

This special festival held once every 12 years in the Year of the Horse is to honour the great deities Takemikazuchi (武甕槌大神 Takemikazuchi-no-Ōkami) of Kashima Shrine and Futsunushi (経津主神 Futsunushi-no-kami) of Katori Shrine. The festival is one of great pride for the people in the areas of Kashima and Katori and said to be one of the biggest in Japan. The next Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival will be in 2014.

The festival began during the time of Emperor Oujin (応神天皇 Ōjin-tenno) although it was stopped once during the civil war of the Muromachi period (室町時代 Muromachi-jidai). In 1870, the third year of the Meiji period (明治時代 Meiji-jidai), the tradition of the festival was revived and given grand imperial status. In 1887 it was decided that the festival would be held every Year of the Horse.

Today the Grand Imperial Ofuna festival begins in the morning on the first of September and officials from the imperial court are sent to convey the blessings of the Emperor. In the early morning of the second day a Mikoshi (神輿 or 御輿 Mikoshi) from Kashima Shrine is carried overland along the edge of Lake Kitaura (北浦 Kitaura）, a smaller part of Lake Kasumigaura (霞ヶ浦 Kasumigaura), to a large boat waiting in the harbor. The boat, adorned with a great Ryūtō (龍頭 Ryūtō) dragon motif, then joins a larger fleet of other colourful boats (in 2002 there were around 90) and carries the Mikoshi across the lake to the other side. From there a divine procession awaits to take the Mikoshi to Katori Shrine (香取神宮 Katori-jingū) where the main festival takes place. After the festival a special temporary logging known as an Angu (行宮 Angu) is constructed and the Mikoshi is taken there before being returned to its main shrine in the afternoon of the third day.