Fall Festivals at Arai Jinja Shrine and Komatsubara Sanja Shrine 荒井神社と小松原三社の秋祭り

Official explanation

According to ancient manuscripts, Arai Jinja Shrine was built in 629 and set in its present location around the middle of the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Among the deities enshrined are two gods of wealth known as Daikoku and Ebisu.

The main shrine structure now standing at Arai Shrine was built in 1943. One attraction in the garden is the musubi-no-matsu (literally, matrimony pine), a tree believed to confer special blessings for successful marriage; another is a monument engraved with a poem by popular novelist, playwright, poet, artist, and philosopher Mushanokoji Saneatsu (1885–1976).

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Komatsubara Sanja Shrine, which was built in the seventeenth century, is situated on the site of Komatsubara Castle, which dates from the Medieval period (1185–1568).

During the annual fall festival held at each shrine in October, a portable shrine (mikoshi) is on display along with colorful festival floats (danjiri). The biggest annual attraction is the Niwaka drum (taiko) performance, which focuses on dancing and has been held since the Edo period (1603–1867).

Every year, two drummers parade through the town, each performing in a different style, while dancers perform skits to the accompaniment of shamisen. The festival is said to date back to the early to mid-Edo period, the earliest evidence being a taiko drum box on which is inscribed the year 1849. The Niwaka taiko drum performance is designated a cultural property by Takasago City.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.