F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-003

Nishinomiya Shrine Opening Ceremony — Lucky Man Race (Fukuotoko Erabi)

西宮神社 開門神事 福男選びにしのみやじんじゃ かいもんしんじ ふくおとこえらび

Every year on the morning of January 10th, roughly 1,500 people who have registered in advance gather before the Akamon (Red Gate) of Nishinomiya Shrine for a ceremony that is part religious event, part 230-meter foot race, and part nationally broadcast athletic spectacle. At precisely 6:00 AM, the gate opens. The first three participants to reach the main hall become that year's Fukuotoko — the Lucky Men — whose faces and fortunes will be reported on morning news across Japan. The course is deceptively treacherous: four designated obstacles — the Tenbin Curve, the Judge's Camphor Tree, the Demon's Corner, and the Ebisu Slope — produce multiple falls annually, and the falls are the event's most reliably dramatic footage. Nishinomiya is the head shrine of Ebisu, the god of commerce and good fortune, and the belief that the first to complete the run receives an amplified portion of Ebisu's blessing each year drives participation from across the country. The ceremony captures something that few religious practices in any tradition manage: a fully sincere act of devotion conducted at a competitive sprint.