Lifestyles and Traditions - Festivals
Held on the first Sunday of April, even-numbered years, at Ōyama Shrine (Fuse area, Okinoshima Town)
This festival is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Shimane Prefecture. On the day before the festival, after performing obitachi, or the cutting of the vines from the forest, a ritual purification of the area called ōsakaki-makuri is carried out by parading a 4 m tall sakaki tree (Cleyera japonica) through the area. On the day of the festival, after gathering at the shrine for a celebration in the morning, the ritual obi-shime, or wrapping of the vines around the sacred tree, is carried out. The festival is rooted in the Fuse area where forestry thrived. These shinto rituals are part of the event to announce the beginning of the mountain season and to pray for the safety of forestry work.
