F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-176

Koshikijima no Toshidon

甑島のトシドンこしきじまのトシドン

Koshikijima no Toshidon is an annual visiting-deity (raiho-shin) ritual handed down on Shimo-Koshikijima island in Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture. On New Year's Eve, young men dress as deities called Toshidon, wearing grotesque masks with long noses and split mouths and straw capes decorated with palm bark and sago palm leaves, and visit households with children. The Toshidon are said to descend from mountains, great rocks, and large trees riding a headless horse. Entering each home, they question children about their conduct over the past year, admonish their faults while praising their merits, have them sing, count, or hop on one leg, and finally bestow a special rice cake called toshidon-mochi before departing. The custom preserves the traditional Japanese belief that deities visit at the turn of the year to bring blessings and that their arrival renews the year. It was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1977, inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009, and expanded in 2018 as part of "Raiho-shin, ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes." It is maintained by preservation societies in settlements such as Teuchi, Katanoura, Sesenoura, and Aose in Shimokoshiki.