F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-174

Takagawa Niida Shrine Hayameshikui (Speed Rice-Eating Rite)

高川仁井田神社 早飯食いたかがわにいだじんじゃ はやめしくい

Held every November 8 at Takagawa Niida Shrine in the Takagawa district of Tosayama, Kochi City, this rice-eating rite is part of the shrine's autumn festival. Local residents gather in the worship hall, where each receives a square tray bearing a bowl of white rice and grilled miso; they then eat as quickly as possible, pouring hot water over the rice and finishing without leaving a grain. After the Shinto ritual, the tonin (festival host) runs about serving miso and hot water while the distinctive cries of "miso-miso-miso" and "yu-yu-yu" fill the hall and participants scoop up their rice all at once. Said to date from the Edo period and described locally as a tradition over 300 years old, it is linked by legend to Heike warriors who fled to Tosayama in the Heian period and ate hurriedly before going to battle. The rite prays for an abundant harvest and good health, using rice grown in the shrine's sacred paddy. It was designated an intangible folk cultural property by Kochi City on December 17, 2004. Around forty people, mostly residents and pupils of the local Tosayama Gakusha school, typically take part; outside drop-in participation is not assumed.