Kashima Saito Festival 鹿島祭頭祭　かしまさいとうさい

Kashima Saito Festival

Kashima Saito Festival (鹿島祭頭祭　かしまさいとうさい) is held at Kashima Jingu in Ibaraki prefecture on March 9th every year. On this day the scared rights for the god of the shrine are carried out. The actual fun part of the festival is the following Saturday if the festival day falls on a weekday; in 2020 this will be March 14th. During the festival people dress up in very colorful traditional costumes and wave 180 cm rods as they dance around the shrine area and other parts of Kashima city. The purpose of the festival is to welcome spring and pray or a good harvest. It was designated as a country-selected intangible folk cultural property in 1976.

Kashima Jingu Shrine

Kashima Jingu Shrine is said to have been founded in Kouki Gannen (660 B.C.) and it is one of the three shrines which are the most famous in the Kanto region. ThIs shrine is dedicated to the god, “Takemikazuchino Ohkami”. “Rohmon” of this shrine is colored beautifully in red, and is also one of the biggest gateways in Japan. This main sanctuary (honden) in which a sacred symbol called “shintai”(God’s soul) is enshrined has been registered as a national important cultural asset. 10-minute walk from JR Kashima Jingu Station.