A whole lot of residents gathered at a seaside in Yokosuka metropolis’s Kurihama space, south of Tokyo, over the weekend to hope for marine security in a summer season competition that fuses sacred ritual and seaside spectacle.
As a conveyable shrine known as mikoshi, adorned with Shinto ornaments, was lifted onto bearers’ shoulders, the viewers cheered.
The mikoshi had began from Sumiyoshi Shrine and was paraded by means of neighbourhood alleyways. Shrine clergymen paused to bless choices and pray for success for individuals gathered outdoors their properties.
When the procession reached the seaside, the clergymen danced and chanted. The competition reached its climax when the bearers entered the water as much as their necks, their sweaty faces splashed with seawater.
The procession made a remaining cease on the close by ferry terminal, the place the mikoshi was carried onto a vessel for prayers for its protected travels.
“Everybody has been wanting ahead to today all yr,” mentioned Shuji Shimizu, head of the Kurihama Neighbourhood Affiliation. “It’s a celebration of our personal energy and unity. Please keep protected on the market … and luxuriate in each second.”
As night fell, the mikoshi was carried again to storage on the shrine, till subsequent summer season.
