Katsuragake Jinja Misogi Matsuri
(Katsuragake Shrine Lustration Festival)

2nd Saturday of December

Misogi Matsuri is a Shinto ritual which has been come down for approximately 600 years.
People wish rich harvest and prosperity of that area.
Seinegi (Shin-otoko), who has been stayed at the Katsuragake Shrine for three days to purify himself,
is carried from the shrine to the Nagara River by almost 150 men.

Misogi (purification) Place
The right bank of the Nagara River.
500m (0.31miles) lower from the Chusetsu bridge. Also 500m far from Katsuragake Jinja (shrine)

schedule
Sat.	2:00p.m.-	Shinto ritual of the Misogi Festival starts in the main shrine of Katsuragake Shrine. A temporary top priest(sho-negi) who is chosen from the shrine parishioners , a temporary vice-priest (fuku-negi) who also chosen from the shrine parishioner and child -negi (the first son of sho-negi fundamentally) wearing white clothes and red headbands participate the ritual. Kagura is offered by the 6th grade girls of elementary school.
	3:00p.m.-	1st Misogi. Fuku-negi who takes a role of Shin-otoko, wearing a red loincloth and a headband, starts the community center with naked men with loincloths. Naked men sometimes toss Fuku-negi (shin-otoko) into the air. After they arrived Katsuragake Shrine, they have purification. Then they go to the Nagara River side (600m ahead from the shrine) with bands, mediums, priests, etc. After the ritual, naked men enter the specific place srrounded by special ropes (shimenawa) in the river. Then they submerge themselves in the water to lustrate. After that, they return to the shrine pushing and shoving one another. Finally, they toss Fuku-negi and carry into the front shrine (haiden)
	4:00p.m.-	Mochimaki (mochi-nage) and offering of performance
	7:00p.m.-	The 2nd Misogi. Sho-negi takes a role of Shin-otoko. Fuku-negi carries taima (staff with plaited paper streamers used in Shinto)
	10:00p.m.-	The 3rd Misogi. Sho-negi takes a role of Shin-otoko. Fuku-negi carries taima and the chief priest (guuji) relieses it into the Nagara River at the end.
Sun.	0:00-	Shingei-sai (lit. welcome gods festival) shinto ritual.
Sun.	10:00-	Taisai (main festival). After the Shinto ritual, they release carps into the Nagara River.

participation
This is a free-for-all festival.
If you would like to be a naked man, register at Ikenoue Community Center
30 minutes before the each Misogi (3:00p.m., 7:00p.m., 10:00p.m.).
Then you get a headband and a loincloth.
Sake (Japanese rice wine9 and simple Japanese foods are served.

Access
Take Meitetsu-Honsen line from Meitetsu Nagoya sta.. Get off at Gifu Sta.
Take Gifu Bus "No.1 Chusetsu-Sagiyama-mawari" and get off at Chusetsubashi stop.
Walk 10 - 15minutes.
or
Take Meitetsu Gifu-shinai-sen (streetcar) line bound for Chusetsu/Kurono.
Get off at Chusetsu station.
Walk 10 to 15 minutes to Southwest.

The lustration is held at the right bank, 500m down from the Chusetsu-bashi (Chusetsu Bridge) over the Nagara River.

Katsuragake Shrine
3-47 Ikenoue-cho, Gifu C.

inquiries
Misogi-Matsuri-Hosan-kai
TEL: 058-232-8770

Festivals in Surrounding area

Festivals in Nagoya

Festivals in Japan