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The Uso-kae Festival is held twice a year at Takahata Tenmangu Shrine in Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City, in the northern part of Fukushima Prefecture
It is a festival with the hope that all misfortunes will be turned into lies and turned into good things. Many people come to pray in search of special amulets that can only be obtained at the Uso Kae Festival
In this article, we will introduce the Takahata Tenmangu Usokae Festival and explain how to visit
What is the Uso-kae Festival?
The Uso Kae Festival is a Shinto ritual held with the hope that all the bad things of the previous year will be turned into lies and replaced with good things. Participants are given a wooden amulet in the shape of a bullfinch (Uso). The bullfinch amulet is said to take on the bad things of the past year in place of the person and turn them into good things
The Usokae Festival is held at Tenmangu Shrines and Tenjin Shrines across the country that worship Sugawara no Michizane. One of these is Takahata Tenmangu Shrine in Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture. Takahata Tenmangu Shrine is the only shrine in the Tohoku region where the Usokae Festival is held
Uso
By the way, the bush warbler is a bird that often flies to the plum tree beloved by Sugawara no Michizane. There is a story that when a visitor to Tenjin Shrine was attacked by a swarm of bees, a bush warbler saved the visitor by eating the bees. This episode is said to be the origin of the Usokae Festival
What kind of festival is Takahata Tenmangu Usokae Festival?
Takahata Tenmangu Shrine's Usokae Festival is held every January and April. The January Usokae Festival is particularly popular, with tens of thousands of people from inside and outside the prefecture coming to worship. People seeking the wooden carved bush warblers amulets often create long lines and crowded parking lots. The festival is usually held over four days, but crowds are expected to form early on the first day
Wooden carving of a bush warbler
The wooden carved bush warblers at Takahata Tenmangu Shrine are popular for their adorable appearance. They have long tail feathers at the back and their large eyes watch over the well-being of your home. They come in five different sizes, ranging from extra-large at 27cm to extra-small at 9cm, and the larger ones are particularly popular and tend to sell out quickly
Nishine Shrine and Takahata Tenmangu Shrine in Iizaka Town, Fukushima Prefecture
Takahata Tenmangu Shrine, where the Usokae Festival is held, is enshrined within Nishine Shrine in Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture
Nishine Shrine is dedicated to two men, Furukawa Zenbei Shigekichi and Sato Shinuemon Ietada, who contributed greatly to the region by building the Nishine Weir to improve water supply for rice paddies during the pioneering period of the Date and Shinobu regions
Meanwhile, Takahata Tenmangu Shrine is a shrine dedicated to the aforementioned Sugawara no Michizane. It is also popularly known as Takahata's Tenjin-sama. In addition to being a shrine dedicated to healing illnesses and warding off misfortune, it is also famous as the god of learning. Many students taking exams and their families visit the shrine, and you can see them purchasing things like amulets and pencils to pray for success
There are also power spots within the temple grounds, such as the "Rubbing Cow" where you can rub the cow to pray for recovery from illness, and the "Cancel Gate" where your wishes will come true if you pass through
How to get to the Usokae Festival
You can access Takahata Tenmangu Shrine by car or train
If you are driving, it will take about 10 minutes from the Fukushima Iizaka Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. However, as this festival attracts large crowds every year, even the temporary parking lots are expected to be crowded. Please make sure to allow plenty of time for your visit
If you are traveling by train, take the Fukushima Transportation Iizaka Line from JR Fukushima Station. After getting off at Iizaka Onsen Station, it is about a 10-minute walk to the destination. It might be fun to stroll around and enjoy the charming townscape of Iizaka Onsen
There are also special accommodation plans for the Uso Kae Festival
Iizaka Town is a hot spring town with many accommodations. As a result, some hotels and inns have special plans for the Usokae Festival, which attracts large crowds every year. There are even plans that allow you to reserve a wooden carved bush warbler and receive it at the front desk
This is a great plan that can help you avoid disappointment after all the effort you've put in to avoid getting caught in traffic, or losing your bush warblers, etc. It's especially recommended for those who want to be sure to see a bush warbler and enjoy a peaceful visit to the shrine
In this article, we introduced the Takahata Tenmangu Usokae Festival in Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City
The desire to avoid illness and disaster and to pray for health and peace has remained unchanged from ancient times. Every year, many people visit the Takahata Tenmangu Usokae Festival in search of blessings. The cute and popular Usokae Bird amulet is said to turn bad things into lies and turn everything into good things. Why not visit and pray for happiness in the year ahead?
Iizaka is also a hot spring town, so why not enjoy a soak in the hot springs to soothe your travel fatigue?
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