Photo and video collection of the bizarre festival 'Hodare Matsuri' where the first wife is paraded on a giant phallic deity
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A strange festival in Echigo that brings spring!! Hodare Festival official page
http://tochiokankou.jp/hodare/
From Osaka, take the sleeper train `` Kyukyu Taguni '' and arrive at Nagaoka Station in Niigata Prefecture.
This is what it looks like outside the station.
From here, it's about an hour's bus ride.
Take the train bound for Tochio Shako from platform 4.
Tochio Garage is like this. It's becoming more and more rural.
Being located on the Sea of Japan side of Hokuriku, there is still quite a bit of snow left even in mid-March.
I immediately found a poster for the Hodare Festival.
It takes about 15 minutes by taxi from here to Hodare Shrine. Continue along the road that has walls of snow more than 2 meters high on both sides.
According to the signboards I found along the way, the road will be closed during the festival.
As we approached the shrine, we found a large number of cars parked on the side of the road.
Suddenly, the road was closed to traffic, and it seemed that the area ahead was the venue for the festival.
By the way, this area is called Shigeraiden district in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture.
There are only houses scattered around, and a pure white snowy landscape spreads out.
A tower with a red and white curtain on the side of the road.
Apparently this is the main venue.
There are nobori and candles set up around it.
This is 'Hodare Shrine'. Hodare is said to be ``a state in which ears of rice are ripe and dripping,'' but there is also a theory that it is a slang term referring to the penis.
There is a small company...
A 2.2 meter high deity is enshrined inside.
There are many things of various sizes enshrined around the shrine.
There was also a human-shaped Dosojin.
There is a huge cedar tree growing next to the company.
'Hodare Festival Executive Committee Headquarters' looks like this.
The schedule is posted.
The festival usually starts at 11:00 and is scheduled to end around 2:00 pm.
There is a stand next to the headquarters where you can place the object of worship and make a mikoshi.
The stick he carried on his shoulder was so thick that he couldn't hold it with one hand. According to locals, one of these sticks weighs 100 kg.
There is a depression in the part where the object of worship is placed.
The festival begins with the sound of blank gunfire.
A large number of people have already gathered at the venue.
People leading the way come from the bottom of the hill, playing drums and conch shells.
They carry large beads used in rituals.
In addition, shimenawa ropes to wrap around the sacred tree beside the shrine are also available. It weighs about 300 kilograms, so it is carried by many people.
Next, the priest came to the venue.
Wrap the rope around the sacred tree.
There are a lot of photographers around.
Exorcism by the priest.
These people are the 'first wives' who ride the mikoshi.
Before riding the mikoshi, visit the shrine.
A person carrying offerings appears from the bottom of the hill and advances while scattering sweets.
People picking up lucky charms of sweets scattered on the road.
We head towards the office, jostling each other.
Deliver sacred sake and pray.
When the barrel of sacred sake arrives, a representative of the first bride taps it with a wooden mallet to open the lid, and the shrine maiden hands it out to the participants.
A line of people waiting to buy sacred sake.
A shrine maiden will serve you sacred sake.
Finally, the object of worship is carried out from the shrine.
It weighs about 600 kilograms, so the people trying to transport it are desperate.
The object of worship was placed on a mikoshi pedestal.
It is firmly fixed to the pedestal with a belt.
The ``first wife'' straddles the sacred object.
'First wife' with a big smile on her face.
A completely surreal scene of men carrying a huge sacred object, a woman riding on top of it, and people watching over them.
The lower half is the same as a normal mikoshi, but there is a sacred object on top of it.
This is what it looks like from the front.
The total weight is close to 1 ton, so it seems quite difficult for the person carrying it.
This is what it looks like from a distance.
You can see the mikoshi carrying the 'first wife' parading in the movie below.
Another 'first wife' straddled the sacred object.
If you wish, you can ride the sacred object even if you are not married, and in the photo below, girls who appear to be local students are straddling it.
One after another, those who wish to do so climb up to the shrine.
Some people are from overseas.
Once all the people who have requested it have been carried, the object of worship will be returned to the shrine.
At the end of the festival, an event will be held from the stage where the 'first bride' throws out lots tied to sweets and 5 yen coins.
You can see how they actually participate in picking up lottery tickets in the following movie.
The numbers are written on the paper as shown below.
Prizes include bags of rice and replicas of sacred objects.
The 'first wives' draw number tags to decide the winner.
A man from Tsubame City who won a bag of rice for the Hodare Grand Prize.
At the surrounding shops, candies with images of sacred objects are sold.
There are also women's ones.
The price is 600 yen per bottle.
There are also small ones, which are said to be lucky charms for praying for a child.
Tanuki soup is also simmered in the large pot.
The price is 300 yen per cup.
A glass of sake with swordfish caught in a nearby river costs 500 yen.
This is
It is a festival that is difficult to get to from far away, as it is far from a Shinkansen station, but it is a truly unique festival, so those who are interested should try participating.
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