Shimōsa Miyama Seven-Year Festival

Overview

The Shimosan Mountains Seven-Year Festival is a major festival involving nine shrines across four cities in Chiba Prefecture: Funabashi, Chiba, Yachiyo, and Narashino. This festival takes place in the years of the Ox and the Sheep, corresponding to the seventh year in the traditional counting system, hence the name Seven-Year Festival. It is said to have a history of over 550 years dating back to the Muromachi period. In 2004, it was designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture.

The festival is broadly divided into two parts: the Small Festival, held in September, and the Grand Festival, held in November. The Grand Festival begins with a purification ceremony and features the gathering of portable shrines from nine shrines at the Kami Soroiba assembly point in Sanyama, Funabashi City, followed by the Shoden Sanpai ceremony at Ninomiya Shrine, and finally the Isode Ceremony on the Makuhari coast in Chiba City. This festival is widely known as a prayer for safe childbirth and child-rearing, with each participating shrine having a specific role related to childbirth and family.

History and Origins

Multiple traditions describe the origins of the Shimosan Mountains Seven-Year Festival. According to one account, around 1445 during the Muromachi period, Makuwari Yasutane of the Chiba clan, whose wife had not shown signs of giving birth despite being past her due date, ordered prayers at Ninomiya Shrine and conducted a seaside ritual. Following this, a son was born safely. It is said that Yasutane subsequently began holding a festival of thanksgiving for the safe birth.

Another tradition tells of Fujiwara no Tokihira's descendant, Fujiwara no Morotsune, who, after being exiled from the capital and encountering a storm at sea, drifted ashore at Kuguta (present-day Tsudanuma in Narashino City). He is said to have lit a signal fire at Kannondai to alert his lost sister's ship, and later developed a deep faith in Ninomiya Shrine, or was enshrined there. This tradition also holds that Tokihira's daughter settled in Takatsu.

The exact period when the festival took its current form is unclear, but the practice of holding it every seven years in the Ox and Sheep years is said to have begun around 1727 during the Kyoho era. Throughout the late Edo period, the festival gradually took shape and grew in scale. In particular, the combination of the Thanksgiving for Safe Childbirth festival at Ninomiya Shrine and the subsequent Isode Ceremony on the Makuhari coast is based on the Muromachi period story.

A notable saying associated with this festival is that the order of events in the Sanyama festival is reversed. This refers to the fact that the daytime Thanksgiving for Safe Childbirth ceremony is a celebration of a successful birth, while the subsequent Isode Ceremony is a prayer for safe childbirth, thus inverting the natural sequence of events.

Highlights

Gathering of Nine Shrines at Kami Soroiba The Kami Soroiba assembly point is located in Sanyama, Funabashi City, where the portable shrines from all nine shrines gather on the day of the Grand Festival. This spectacle, with portable shrines from four cities converging, is magnificent and attracts approximately 100,000 spectators. The sight of nine portable shrines lined up creates an atmosphere reminiscent of the Muromachi period's vitality.

Shoden Sanpai at Ninomiya Shrine After departing from Kami Soroiba, the portable shrine procession travels along the Seven Curves road to Ninomiya Shrine, named for its seven bends. At Ninomiya Shrine, the portable shrines of the eight other shrines undergo the Shoden Sanpai ceremony in a predetermined order, where they are carried into the worship hall for purification. This order is based on the family roles assigned to each of the nine shrines.

Family Roles of Participating Shrines Each of the nine shrines is assigned a specific family role. Ninomiya Shrine is the father/husband, Koyasu Shrine is the mother/wife, Komori Shrine is the child-minder, Sandaio Shrine is the midwife, Kikuta Shrine is the uncle, Omiya Ohara Shrine is the aunt, Jihei Shrine is the eldest son, Takatsu Hime Shrine is the princess, and Hachioji Shrine is the youngest son. The order of procession and the ritual proceedings are determined by these roles, with the entire festival reenacting a family's childbirth story.

Isode Ceremony for Safe Childbirth The Isode Ceremony takes place at the Isode Otabisho on the Makuhari coast in Chiba City, in the early morning before sunrise on the day after the Thanksgiving for Safe Childbirth. Only four shrines participate: Ninomiya Shrine (father/husband), Koyasu Shrine (mother/wife), Sandaio Shrine (midwife), and Komori Shrine (child-minder). While the Thanksgiving for Safe Childbirth is a celebration after birth, the Isode Ceremony is a prayer for the next safe birth, embodying the reversed order of the festival.

Purification Ceremony Before the Grand Festival On the eve of the Grand Festival, participants undergo a purification ceremony. This was traditionally held at Saginuma, but due to coastal reclamation, the location has moved to Sodegaura. However, participants still receive hospitality at the Ne Shrine in Saginuma, preserving old customs. Participants purify their hands with seawater and perform actions such as gathering clams.

Hana Nagashi in Local Communities After the Grand Festival, the portable shrines of each shrine conduct a Hana Nagashi procession through their respective local areas. This procession, also called Hana Mawari or Hana Mawashi, varies in schedule and method depending on the shrine. The Ninomiya Shrine's portable shrine holds its Hana Nagashi after the Kannondai ceremony on its return journey, while Kikuta Shrine's procession takes place over two days following the Grand Festival.

Event Information and Access

• Festival Year: Every seventh year in the traditional counting system, specifically the years of the Ox and the Sheep (please check the official website for the next scheduled year)
• Small Festival: September of the festival year (dates vary by shrine)
• Grand Festival: November of the festival year (dates vary by year)
• Venues: Kami Soroiba and Ninomiya Shrine (5-20-1 Sanyama, Funabashi City), Isode Otabisho (Makuhari coast, Chiba City), Sodegaura (purification ceremony site, Narashino City)
• Access (Train): Approximately 20 minutes by Keisei Bus from JR Sobu Line Tsudanuma Station to Ninomiya Shrine, or 30 minutes by Funabashi Shin-Keisei Bus
• Access (Car): Approximately 20 minutes from Makuhari or Takeishi IC on the Keiyo Road, or 30 minutes from Hanaori IC (traffic regulations in effect during the festival)
• Organizer: Seven-Year Festival Preservation Society
• Contact: Funabashi City Board of Education, Cultural Affairs Division (047-436-2898)
• Note: Please check the official websites of each city for the most current schedule and whether the festival will be held as usual. In recent years, events have been limited to ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Surrounding Area Information

Ninomiya Shrine in Sanyama, Funabashi City, is the central shrine of this festival and is open for regular worship. The shrine grounds are usually peaceful and revered by local residents as the local tutelary deity. During the festival, the area around the Sanyama intersection, where Kami Soroiba is set up, is usually a residential area but becomes bustling with stalls and spectators on the day of the Grand Festival.

The Isode Otabisho near the Makuhari coast in Chiba City is the site of the Isode Ceremony. Makuhari, originally called Makuwari, is deeply connected to the legend of Makuwari Yasutane. While the area has developed into the Makuhari New City business district, remnants of the old fishing village atmosphere can still be felt near the coast where the Isode Ceremony takes place.

Sodegaura Sports Park in Narashino City is used as the current venue for the purification ceremony. Additionally, Kannondai in Tsudanuma is a historically significant site where Fujiwara no Morotsune is said to have lit his signal fire. A ritual marking the end of the Grand Festival is held at Kannondai, offering visitors a glimpse into the deep history of the region.

Related Information

• Cultural Property Designation: Designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture in 2004
• Locations of Nine Participating Shrines: Ninomiya Shrine (Sanyama, Funabashi City), Koyasu Shrine (Hatamachi, Hanamigawa-ku, Chiba City), Komori Shrine (Makuhari, Hanamigawa-ku, Chiba City), Sandaio Shrine (Takeishi, Hanamigawa-ku, Chiba City), Kikuta Shrine (Tsudanuma, Narashino City), Omiya Ohara Shrine (Jitsumin, Narashino City), Jihei Shrine (Owada and Kayadacho, Yachiyo City), Takatsu Hime Shrine (Takatsu, Yachiyo City), Hachioji Shrine (Kogane-cho, Funabashi City)
• Name Origin: Named Seven-Year Festival because it is held in the seventh year of the counting cycle (Ox and Sheep years)
• Sanyama Name: The term Shimosan refers to the Sanyama district in Funabashi City, where Ninomiya Shrine is located
• Similar Festivals: While other festivals called Seven-Year Festival exist in Chiba Prefecture, the Shimosan Mountains festival is notably larger in scale
• Preservation Group: The Seven-Year Festival Preservation Society is responsible for preserving and managing the festival
• Historical Records: Descriptions of the festival can be found in Edo-period geographical records and documents, confirming its historical continuity

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