F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-231
Shirongo Festival
しろんご祭しろんごさい
A festival of the ama (women free-divers) handed down on the island of Sugashima in Toba City, Mie Prefecture, held each year on the Saturday closest to July 11. The sea in front of the white beach (popularly "Shirongo Beach"), designated a sacred no-fishing zone all year round, is opened only on this day, when the island's ama are allowed to dive for abalone. At the signal of a conch trumpet, ama in white diving garb plunge into the sea all at once, competing to be first to take an abalone. The ama who first catches a male-and-female pair (the "maneki abalone") becomes the head ama for that year and is honored on the island until the next festival. The maneki abalone is dedicated to Shirahige Shrine, which sits on a hill behind the beach, to pray for a bountiful catch and safety at sea for the year. The festival is said to have originated about 700 years ago, when a white serpent that appeared on the island was venerated as the messenger of the dragon deity and prayers were offered for abundant catches and maritime safety. It is a Toba City–designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01The moment when, with the sacred no-fishing sea opened only on this day, the ama dive all at once at the conch's signal
- 02A competition of ama diving, as women in white diving garb vie to be first to take a male-and-female pair of 'maneki abalone'
- 03The honor of becoming the year's head ama for the first diver to catch the maneki abalone
- 04The rite of dedicating the maneki abalone to Shirahige Shrine to pray for a bountiful catch and safety at sea
D E E P D I V E