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Also called "Sennin Gyoretsu" (1,000-person Procession 千人行列), this is Nikko's largest festival held on May 17-18. The highlight is a long procession of over 1,000 people dressed in various costumes.The three portable shrines are dedicated to the spirits of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Minamoto Yoritomo. Photos start with May 17 at Toshogu Shrine, when priests gathered for a ceremony. 発興祭
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Nose Myokenzan Betsuin at a street corner. In Feb., priests at this small temple splash cold water on themselves for 30 min. Near Honjo-Azumabashi Station on the Toei Asakusa Line or JR Kinshicho Station on the Sobu Line.
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Shrine hall
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Barrels of cold water in front of shrine
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Barrels of cold water
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The congregation gather on the steps and beat fan-shaped drums.
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Priests appear
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Chanting prayers
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Prayers to the Kanamara-bune mikoshi かなまら舟神輿Before the portable shrine is taken out to be paraded around town, the god of the shrine must be transferred to it. This is what the head priest is doing.
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Priests in setsubun procession within the temple grounds.
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Priests splash cold water over themselves at the Nose Myokenzan Betsuin in Sumida-ku, Tokyo
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Shrine priest on horseback. The start of one of Tokyo's Big Three Festivals. These photos show the festival's climax on the last day of the festival when over 50 portable shrines are paraded along the streets amid splashing water. It is the Rengo
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Priests in setsubun procession coming through Niomon Gate
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Priest blowing a conch shell
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Prayers to the Elizabeth portable shrine エリザベス神輿Before the portable shrine is taken out to be paraded around town, the god of the shrine must be transferred to it. This is what the head priest is doing.
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Priests in setsubun procession coming through Niomon Gate
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Priests on a rainy day.
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Prayers to the Elizabeth portable shrine エリザベス神輿Before the portable shrine is taken out to be paraded around town, the god of the shrine must be transferred to it. This is what the head priest is doing.
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Temple priest
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Filled with a water hose
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Narita-san during Narita Gion Festival
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So from 1953, as part of the Setsubun ceremonies on Feb. 3, they started this procession of people dressed as warrior monks.
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They are not real warrior monks. Monks do not go to battle as they once did centuries ago. Also see the video at YouTube. 僧兵行列
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This man must be the leader.
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The procession started at 3:30 pm at a nearby shrine.
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They arrived Hosenji at around 4 pm.
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Memorial service 柴燈大護摩供
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Instrument players
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柴燈大護摩供
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Setting afire
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Shrine priests standing
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柴燈大護摩供
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People line up to receive mikan
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Here you go.
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Bean-throwing started at 4:30 pm. 豆まき
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Bean throwing is called mame-maki. 豆まき
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Even this was unusual since they were also throwing mikan tangerines. 豆・みかん（？）まき
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People at the very front are not ignored.
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A tangerine hitting your head is probably painful.
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Tangerines are easily squished in your hands (juice squirting out) if you catch one.
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Shrine priest
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Kanayama Shrine's head priest
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Shrine priest
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Shrine priest
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The Crown Prince, the Emperor, and the Empress on the Emperor's Birthday. They were on the balcony for a whole THREE minutes. I thought they would stay there for at least 10 min. Barely had time to mount my telephoto lens.
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Head priest
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Blessing the path
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Yamabushi--mountain ascetic priests. They carried a conch-shell-like instrument.
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Back at the Yakuoin temple which belongs to the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. 薬王院
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Our Manpukuji priest guide admits his resemblance to Hotei and kindly posed next to it.
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Our Manpukuji priest guide spoke through our interpreter.
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At Meiji Shrine, a wedding couple is led by a Shinto priests and two shrine maidens.
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Mountain ascetic priests.
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There were many of them in Tempyo Procession, Nara Heijo-kyo.
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Narita-san priests
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Priests at Narita-san.
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At around 1:45 pm, a procession of priests and the 70 rice planters entered.
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Spectator tents were set up on both sides of the rice paddy. There weren't so many people. Not all the benches were filled.
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Priests and taume girls enter the paddy.
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The procession encircle the paddies.
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The shrine priests and taume girls return to Taga Taisha Shrine.
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Priests throw wooden goma prayer tablets (written with people's wishes) into the fire.
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Priests throw wooden goma prayer tablets (written with people's wishes) into the fire.
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Priests throw wooden goma prayer tablets (written with people's wishes) into the fire. Tarobogu Shrine, Higashi-Omi, Shiga.
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Procession of priests.
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Two men playing a gagaku instrument called "sho." 笙Gagaku music is commonly associated with the Shinto religion. However, this Buddhist temple has been playing gagaku since long ago.
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Closeup of the gagaku instrument "sho." 笙Gagaku music is commonly associated with the Shinto religion. However, this Buddhist temple has been playing gagaku since long ago. The sho is a wind instrument making that long, drawling, ghostly haunting sound.
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Next is the hichiriki, another gagaku instrument. The hichiriki makes a prolonged duck-call sound. 篳篥
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Lastly is the ryuteki flute-like gagaku instrument. It makes a long, whining sound. 龍笛
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Zojoji Head priest
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Priest and Fukuhara Ai (table tennis player)
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