From A Bird's Eye
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17. Tanushimaru Tsukiyomi Shrine and the Center of Tanushimaru
Filmed: November 2022
The "San-ya Sama" literally meaning “Holy Three Nights” festival, held from January 23rd to 25th each year, is a famous event in Tanushimaru. Rabbits, considered messengers of the moon god, are decorated on top of all the stone lanterns. Additionally, the "Mushi-oi Matsuri" held every three years in November features performances at this shrine. “Tora-san,” one of the Japanese most popular movie series features a scene in its 1981 film, where the main character Tora-san and the heroine walk past the shrine’s tori-i gate.
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18. Yanase Tamatare-no-Mikoto Shrine, the Chikugo River, and the Minoh Mountains
Filmed: November 2022
The "Yanase Okunchi" lion dance performed in October, featuring three different dances, is designated as an intangible folk cultural property of Kurume City. During the "Kaze-dome (Fūchin-sai)" in early July, flags are raised on trees in the shrine grounds to ward off wind and water damage. In addition, during the "Yodo" festival in late July, the shrine is decorated with numerous lanterns and a giant "Chi no Wa" (sacred circle made of Kaya reed). On that night, children act as hosts, serving sake and offering souvenirs to the local residents who come to pray.
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19. Tomimoto Kamihoko Shrine: Grand Ginkgo Tree and Long Stone Steps
Filmed: November 2022
This shrine stands on a hilltop reached by a long flight of stairs. From the shrine grounds, where a grand ginkgo tree stands, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the Chikushi Plain. The stairs continue steeply from the shrine grounds to a stone shrine called "Oiwa-sama," literally “Sacred Stone.”
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20. Shōmon-ji Hiyoshi Shrine: Dōgomori Welcoming Fire
Filmed: November 2022
Witness one of the scenes from the "Dōgomori" ritual performed at many shrines in Tanushimaru on November 30th to welcome the deities returning from Izumo Taisha. Due to strong winds, the flames in the video are intentionally kept small.
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21. Tanushimaru Tenmangu Shrine: With Doves
Filmed: November 2022
The "Mushi-oi Matsuri" festival is held every three years in November. In the early morning of the festival day, about 100 festival bearers gather in the shrine grounds for a safety prayer ritual and a send-off ceremony.
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22. Imamura Tokuman Shrine: Silver-glittering Susuki Pampas Grass
Filmed: November 2022
This shrine is located along the Kose River. In autumn, the susuki pampas grass on the riverbank sways in the wind, shimmering in silver. In July, the "Chi no Wa" ritual is held, where a large Chi no Wa (sacred circle of Kaya reed) is placed in front of the shrine hall, and people pass through it three times to purify themselves and pray for safety and good health. In September, the "Yodo" festival is held, with large lanterns hung over the river surface, and a night festival is held at the community center in the evening.
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23. Horin-ji Temple: Passing through the Gate Tower
Filmed: November 2022
This temple faces the main street of the original town of Tanushimaru. The street is now the Central Shopping Street of the town. The temple was built about 400 years ago in the early Edo period, a few years after the town was founded. In the 1981 film of the popular "Tora-san” movie series, the gate tower and the front gate of the temple appear, and Tora-san and the heroine have a conversation there.
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24. Suwa Shrine
Filmed: November 2022
This shrine is located in a rural area east of the center of Tanushimaru Town. Nestled amidst a grove of majestic trees, the shrine retains the semblance of the past. The tradition of “Mogura-uchi (hitting moles)” ritual still goes on, where children go around the houses in the district on the night of January 14th, hitting the ground with sasa bamboo wrapped with straw bundles at top, to ward off moles. This ritual starts from this shrine.