Omato
(Shooting festival)

2nd Sunday of March
Nakamura-Hachiman-sha and Kasuga-sha,
which concernrd a famous local general Kato Kiyomasa.

Omato is a Shinto ritual which two shrine parishioners, who wear traditional clothes like eboshi (noble's court headgear) and
hitatare (ancient ceremonial court robe), shoot arrows toward the target called Omatoh.
After the shinto ritual they shoot 6 arrows in turn
toward a golden target which is set in the center of the ordinary target, 15meters ahead.
While they are trying to shoot, visitors shout "Hoshoooo" to encourage them..
People augur fortune of the new year by the number of arrows which hit the golden target.
Mochi (rice cake) is distributed to visitors after the omato ceremony.

Omato has been kept since 1590, when Kato Kiyomasa offered a shooting Shinto ritual.
It had been held on January 17th of the lunar calendar,
therefore it is held on the 2nd Sunday of March in each year now.
Recently people pray for peace of their town and rich harvest.

Children play the drums before and after the ritual.	A priest purify all the participants	ritual Shinto prayer/norito
offering sakaki	Priest shoots three arrows. Each arrow showa Heaven, Earth and Man	main event people are shouting "Hosho"
serious	Totally two arrows hit the golden target !	make lines to get mochi
mochi/rice cake	600 mochi are distributed.	distrubute happiness : ))

The similar ritual called "Hosha-shinji" is held in Atsuta Shrine on Jan. 15th, 1:00p.m. -

access
Get off at Nakamura-koen sta. on the Higashiyama subway line.
Take exit 4.
Walk 5 minutes.
map


Nakamura-Hachiman-sha
(representative of followers)
TEL: 052-471-9672