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"Yonekawa Water Splashing," a visiting deity event held on the border between Miyagi and Iwate prefectures | Local report [Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture]
"Yonekawa Water Splashing," a visiting deity event held on the border between Miyagi and Iwate prefectures | Local report [Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture]
The water-splashing ceremony in Yonekawa, Towa-cho, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a " Nationally Designated Important Intangible Cultural Property " and a visiting deity ceremony that was registered as a " UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage " on November 29, 2018. As of January 2025, there are 22 "UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage" registered items in Japan, of which 10 are "Visiting Deities: Gods in Masks and Costumes," and in the Tohoku region, four items, including the "Yonekawa Water-Splashing Ceremony," were registered at the same time.
Tohoku's UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Visiting Gods: Masked and Costumed Gods
Water sprinkling in the Yonekawa River (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
Suneka in Yoshihama (Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
Oga Namahage (Oga City, Akita Prefecture)
Amahage, a New Year's Day event in Yuza (Yuza Town, Yamagata Prefecture)
It is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage site as "Visiting Gods: Gods in Masks and Costumes," but what kind of event is it actually? In this article, I will introduce what I experienced and learned when I actually attended the "Yonekawa Mizukaburi" ceremony, which takes place every year on the first day of the horse month in February
The ancient fire prevention ritual "Yonekawa Water Sprinkling"
the "Yonekawa water splashing" ritual, but it is a "fire prevention ritual" that has been performed for approximately 800 years or more.
The event is also meant to ward off bad luck for those in their unlucky year, but participation is limited, andonly men from the Itsukamachi district of Yonekawa, Towa-cho, Tome Cityare allowed to participate.
It also has the meaning of coming of age and rite of passage
According to Mizukaburi-yado tradition, the main purpose of the event is to prevent fires. It also has the added meaning of warding off evil spirits and being a coming-of-age and rite of passage ceremony for new members of the local community. Participants who are in an unlucky year will be warded off evil spirits. One person, such as someone who has reached the age of 60 or an unlucky year, holds up a Bonten and leads the group of people who are splashing water on themselves
The coming-of-age ceremony is a rite of passage for boys who have reached the age of coming of age (around 15 years old according to the Japanese age reckoning system) to become adults and become members who support the community by participating in local festivals, events, and community work
Rites of passage are tests that welcome newcomers into a community as part of the local group through festivals and events
The Yonekawa Water Splashing Ceremony is held on the first Horse Day in February, and in 2025 it was held on Thursday, February 6th. Since the Hatsuuma Day is the usual date for the event, the date and day of the week change each year, and next year in 2026 it will be held on Sunday, February 1st
Early in the morning on the first day of the Horse in the lunar calendar, the men of the district each make their own straw ropes at the Sugawara family's "water-drenching inn," put on straw "water-drenching attire" over their bare skin, and paint their faces with black ink to prepare.
At around 10:30, everyone leaves the water-soaked lodgings and visits Akihayama Daigongen, the god of fire prevention at Daiji Temple, where they are transformed into the god of fire
After praying, people leave the temple gate and go to the foot of Suwamori, where Daiji Temple once stood, to pray again. After coming out onto the main street of town, they walk around pouring water from buckets prepared in each neighborhood (household) onto the houses, praying for fire prevention
Afterwards, it is customary to visit Hachiman Shrine and Wakakusa Shrine, and then splash water on the houses in the Machiura and Yotsuta districts before returning to the lodgings
Not just a group of people splashing water, but also Okame and Hyottoko
The Yonekawa Mizukaburi festival is not just a parade of men dressed in costumes and transformed into fire gods
At the same time, separate from the group that is being doused with water, two figures dressed as Okame and Hyottoko go around to the houses in the district, receiving congratulatory gifts. These Okame and Hyottoko are considered " visiting deities who bring good fortune ," with Hyottoko being a temporary form of the fire god and Okame being his partner deity.
Okame carries a bucket on a balance pole, and Hyottoko rings a bell in an ink-dyed monk's robe. By the way, it is customary not to reveal the real faces or names of Okame and Hyottoko
Please be careful not to call people by their names, such as saying "you seem like an acquaintance" or teasing them. Okame and Hyottoko are considered visiting deities, and it is said that if you call their names, they will turn back into humans
10:30 AM: "Yonekawa Water Splashing" begins
The group participating in the water-splashing procession will begin their parade at 10:30 a.m. Having prepared for the water-splashing procession since morning, they will depart from the " water-splashing inn ," where the tradition has been passed down through generations
The roar of fireworks signals our departure, and we head to Daiji Temple, located across the street from Mizukaburi no Yado
A group of people pouring water on themselves as they head towards Daijiji Temple
Upon arriving at Daiji Temple, the group who had been doused with water transformed into the god of fire by praying and worshipping at Akiba Daigongen within the temple grounds. Afterwards, they went out into the town, making strange noises. From what I heard, the noises were high-pitched and sounded like " Hyo-i, Hyoi !"
A group of people pouring water over themselves as they pass through the temple gate and head out into town
The group parades through the town, pouring water from buckets prepared in front of houses along the road onto each house, praying for protection against fire.
A group of people pouring water from a bucket onto houses
As the water-throwing group parades through the town, spectators remove the straw they are carrying, as tradition dictates that they take the straw home and place it on the roofs of their own homes to pray for fire prevention
Visitors pull out the straw that's holding them back
Whenever they find a bucket, they splash water on the houses without any hesitation, and their quick movements are astonishing
The group heads towards Yonekawa Hachiman Shrine, splashing water on the houses along the way
After visiting Hachiman Shrine, the procession will visit Wakakusa Shrine across the street, and then return to the lodgings where they have been staying, splashing water on the houses in the Ura and Yotsuta areas of the town that they had just paraded through
Yonekawa Hachiman Shrine
Wakakusa Shrine
The round trip is roughly less than 3km, and the "Yonekawa Water Splashing Procession," a Shinto ritual, concludes in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. It's not a festival, but a venerable Shinto ritual in which the fire-prevention god is transformed into oneself and prayers are offered for fire prevention in the town.
I think it is truly wonderful that this event has continued to this day, not only as a prayer for fire prevention, but also as an important coming-of-age ceremony and rite of passage for the local community
Although this is an event that only locals can participate in, it is free to attend and lasts for two hours from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, so I think it might be easy to come and see it
Currently, Towa Town, like other regions, is facing the problem of population decline, and the number of participants in the water-spraying event, which previously had over 30 participants, has fallen to around 20 by 2025. The unique festival of Kokusekiji Temple, the Somin Festival, which represents Tohoku, also came to an end in 2024 after 1,000 years of history. Due to a lack of people to carry out the water-spraying event in Yonekawa, the day may come when the curtains will fall on its long history. If you're interested, be sure to visit
I'm a member of the Neft editorial team. I love alcohol, music, and travel, and on weekdays I indulge in drinks after work, and on weekends I travel to nearby places whenever I have free time.
My goal is to one day travel abroad to explore connections with Tohoku for a Neft feature! I work hard every day towards that goal.
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