2022年11月13日 / 最終更新日時 : 2026年6月8日 togiumi wakuto Kanto region

Forced egg eating ceremony and Kagura

Date: Every year on November 23
Location: 451-2 Tsugamachi Ienaka, Tochigi city, Tochigi prefecture
Access: About 2.5 km from Ienaka, Tobu Nikko Line. 2 km walk from Noshu Otsuka, Tobu Utsunomiya Line.
　　　　　→cf. https://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/en/news/pdf/201703-01_route%20map.pdf Tobu line route map

Table of contents

prologue

Today we also have two of our guides on the show for the first time in a long time. For those of you who do not know them, please refer to this page. →https://discoverdeeperjapan.com/2020/04/09/4kaguras-in-kanto-area-in-spring-vol-1/

It seems that Sarutahiko invited Hyottoko on a journey, using the ritual of ‘mochi-nage’—where rice cakes and sweets are thrown into the crowd—as a lure, in the hope of deepening his understanding of Kagura…

Long time no see. Are we at Yashu-Otsuka 野州大塚 Station? It is a very quiet and unpopular station, isn’t it?

You’re the one who loves getting souvenirs from the “Mochi Nage”, right? So I’ll guide you to a place where you can get a lot of them today.

I appreciate that, but…

Besides, this time there is a rare ritual called “Goranshiki” in the set.

Let’s go then. It’s close to the station, right?

You have to walk about half an hour.

Doh, doh, doh.

It looks like they finally arrived.

It’s pretty crowded, isn’t it?

There is something going on at the festival for a day and the “Goranshiki” is quite popular!

10:30 am ~kagura starts

Unusually, people have already gathered from the beginning. Usually, it is only in the latter half of the day that people start to gather in droves.

Just watch and you’ll see.

Oh, it’s already “mochi-nage”. Are they okay like this from the start?

Although it’s called a “mochi-nage (ricecake toss)”, it’s really just a candy toss.

Every time one of the acts is over they throw it every time.

You may rejoice in the mochi nage, but you should also keep the kagura content. Old man plays a dance to appease the four directions of the earth. The red face and long nose of Sarutahiko* is, of course, the god of guidance.

*https://discoverdeeperjapan.com/reference/japan-mythorogy/japan-mychology-and-history/

Oh, if the Okame-type masks have appeared, is this the Amenouzume of “the Opening Iwato*” ?

*https://discoverdeeperjapan.com/reference/japan-mythorogy/amano-iwatobirakithe-revival-of-the-deity-of-sun/

It’s the most important event in Kagura, or Japanese mythology. In ancient Japan, where there was a belief in the sun god, the resurrection of the sun god Amaterasu was of the utmost importance!

So, following Uzume, Tadikarao comes out and opens the Iwato, right?

**Tajikarao open the “Iwato (the door of rock)**

Here comes Amaterasu. Amaterasu is often represented by a mirror. In some places, only mirrors are placed. This depends on how important the kagura and the local community consider the Iwato opening to be.

The fox has come out.
So, from this point on, the performance leaves mythology behind and becomes rooted in the lives of ordinary people.

That’s the standard progression of kagura. You know that the fox is a messenger of the god Inari, the god of rice cultivation, right?

Of course I do, but I think there are quite a few people who think Inari is the fox. I didn’t even know about it until recently. But I know Daikoku-sama. When Daikoku shakes that mallet, treasures are piling up. Well, here it comes.

1:00 pm ~Goranshiki 強卵式

Looking again at the shrine grounds in this way, there are many bird designs. I had no idea that the place to wash hands and the ema (votive picture tablet) are also birds.

The Goran ceremony will be held at the main shrine. Here.

People wearing kamishimo (ceremonial kimono) are already sitting there. In front of them are bottles of sake. Is a banquet about to begin?

Finally, the tengu are ready.
It’s the main tengu and two attendants.

At first, three tengu were supposed to perform the ceremony, but they thought it was too messy and hard to see, so they settled on the current form.

Oh well, it’s turned into a drinking contest. Tengu is forcing participants to drink sake.

With a issho bottle (1.8litter) of sake, even I would have a hard time drinking it all up. The jerks are so yelling for me to drink, or drink more.

A heaping pile of eggs on a small wooden stand was brought.

Here’s how it all begins.
Here in the Tochigi Prefecture area, there are similar ceremonies such as the Nikko Gohanshiki and Hokkouji Gohanshiki, but the Gohanshiki here is a bit different. Nikko’s Gohanshiki originated as a way to show appreciation for rice, but here they really do it to show that it is not to be eaten.

In the past, based on a legend at the time of the shrine’s founding, it was forbidden to eat chicken at shrines, but this has not been made known to the public. This is why they decided to start this event, which started as recently as 2001.
So, in the ritual here, you are forced to eat however much you want and refuse to eat until the end. The tengu praises them for it.

So no grilled chicken or anything like that in the food stalls?
By the way, what are they going to do with all these eggs?

Eggs are thrown to the audience. However, if the egg is thrown as it is, it will break, so another ball is thrown to replace it later… Where did it go, Hyottoko?
Oh, he’s already gone to get the egg!