Encyclopedia of Shinto

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カテゴリー1： 5. Rites and Festivals
カテゴリー2： Individual Shrine Observances
Title
Hana-e sai
Text
"Flower Assembly Festival." A festival held on April 11, at the Futarayama Shrine (Futarayama Jinja) on Baba Street in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture in commemoration of the temporary manifestation of the enshrined kami (saijin). Four boys around the age of twelve, wearing elaborate headdresses (yōraku no kanmuri), ceremonial robes (kariginu), and swords receive one branch each from the tens of cherry blossom branches placed by the shrine priests (shinshoku) on offertory stands (sanbō). Then, they hand the branches to the shrine's chief priest (gūji), who puts the branches together and offers them to the kami. Next, the four boys perform four dances, the first one carrying a staff, the second empty-handed, the third carrying a sword, and the last one with a staff again.
— Mogi Sakae

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

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