[Held on Saturday, June 8, 2024] MaruyamaSenmaida Insect Sending Festival - Enjoy the fantastical scenery of lit torches!
掲載日：2024.05.31
MaruyamaSenmaida located in the Maruyama district of Kiwa-cho, KumanoCity, is a series of terraced rice fields built in multiple layers on a slope, and has been selected as one of the 100 best rice terraces in Japan.
In the days before pesticides, the MaruyamaSenmaida held a ceremony called "Mushi Okuri" to exterminate rice pests and pray for a good harvest. "Mushi Okuri" is a simple event in which people walk through the rice fields holding torches, drums, and bells, chasing away pests with fire and sound.
This event had not been held for a long time, but was revived in 2004 when the Kumano Kodo was designated a World Heritage Site. In the evening, torches are lit on the rice fields, creating a fantastical landscape.
In this topic, we will introduce in detail the dates, timetable, and access for MaruyamaSenmaida Gift Festival.
Schedule for the 2024 MaruyamaSenmaida Festival
At 6pm, 1,340 candles - the same number as the rice fields - are lit on MaruyamaSenmaida and the insect-sending ceremony begins.
Local children also join in, and they depart yagami to the sound of drums and bells, shouting "Let the Insect Sending Shrine pass by!" and place talismans in the rice fields to pray for a good harvest.
As the sun sets, the gentle candle light creates a unique and magical landscape.
Date of event: Saturday, June 8, 2024
18:00~ "MaruyamaSenmaida" candle lighting
19:00~ Insect Sending Procession
20:00~ Kitayama Cannon Firing
*If it rains, the event will be postponed to Saturday, June 15th.
Venue: KumanoCity Kiwacho MaruyamaSenmaida City
Traffic access
[Public transportation] About 30 minutes by car from JR KumanoCity Station
[Car] About 40 minutes by car from Kumano Otomari IC
[Parking] Temporary parking available around the Kiwa Mine Museum
*Due to traffic restrictions, cars will not be allowed to enter the venue. There will be shuttle transport from the parking lot to the venue by minibus. After getting off the bus, you will have to walk about 2km to the venue.
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The Kitayama gunfire at the end of the event
About 130 years ago, at the end of the Edo period, in preparation for those who had been defeated in the Tenchugumi Rebellion and were marching south, a cannon called the Kitayama Cannon was made by hollowing out pine trees that grew abundantly along the banks of the Kitayama River and wrapping bamboo around it. At the time, this pine cannon was never used, but during the Mushi Okuri festival, the Kitayama Cannon is fired in a reenactment, adding to the excitement of the event.
MaruyamaSenmaida Enjoy the beautiful scenery of each season
MaruyamaSenmaida one of the largest rice terraces in Japan, boasting a scale of 1,340 rice terraces and has been selected as one of the 100 best rice terraces in Japan. Records show that there were 2,240 rice fields about 400 years ago, but in the early Heisei period, due to a lack of successors, this number had decreased to 530. In 1994, the MaruyamaSenmaida Ordinance was enacted, and with the cooperation of local residents, restoration work was carried out and an owner system was implemented, and currently, 1,340 rice terraces are maintained and carefully preserved.