Lots of of residents gathered at a seaside in Yokosuka metropolis’s Kurihama space, south of Tokyo, over the weekend to wish for marine security in a summer season pageant that fuses sacred ritual and seaside spectacle.
As a conveyable shrine known as mikoshi, adorned with Shinto ornaments, was lifted onto bearers’ shoulders, the viewers cheered.
The mikoshi had began from Sumiyoshi Shrine and was paraded by way of neighbourhood alleyways. Shrine clergymen paused to bless choices and pray for luck for individuals gathered outdoors their properties.
When the procession reached the seaside, the clergymen danced and chanted. The pageant reached its climax when the bearers entered the water as much as their necks, their sweaty faces splashed with seawater.
The procession made a ultimate cease on the close by ferry terminal, the place the mikoshi was carried onto a vessel for prayers for its secure travels.
“Everybody has been wanting ahead to this present day all 12 months,” mentioned Shuji Shimizu, head of the Kurihama Neighbourhood Affiliation. “It’s a celebration of our personal power and unity. Please keep secure on the market … and revel in each second.”
As night fell, the mikoshi was carried again to storage on the shrine, till subsequent summer season.
