Ritual Rice Cake Pounding Ceremony
December 21, 2026
This traditional year-end event, known as the Ritual Rice Cake Pounding, dates back to the late Nara period. It originated with mountain ascetics preparing rice cakes as offerings and provisions before embarking on ascetic training in the Nikko mountains, praying for safety. At 8:20 a.m., priests chant mantras within a sacred area, then monks dressed as ascetics take turns pounding rice with large mallets. A total of 120 kilograms of rice cakes are prepared and shaped into ceremonial offerings called 'kagami mochi,' which are placed before the main deities in each hall until the 30th, in preparation for the New Year.
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