Children's Rice Forcing Ritual
November 15, 2026
Elementary and junior high school children dressed as mountain ascetics and strongmen parade in to the sound of conch shells and drums. They boldly recite scripted lines to adults known as 'new officers,' demanding that they eat heaping servings of rice. In the following segment, called 'Introducing the Rice Meal,' a priest offers taro to the mouths of two males dressed in white robes, representing local youths, and they eat it three times each. Next, in the 'Spring Horse Ritual,' two local participants ride bamboo stilts and run around inside the worship hall. This unusual festival, designated as an intangible folk cultural asset by the city, is held to pray for good health and protection from misfortune.
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