One of Itoshima’s most dramatic events, this festival sees local men plunge into a mountain river in the dead of winter. Late at night on the third Saturday of December, participants join in various ceremonies before heading into the mountains near Shiraito Falls and parading into the Kawatsuki River – all while wearing nothing but a loincloth. While the men continue to perform the ritual, men born under the zodiac sign of the year wash rice downstream, cook the rice, and then offer it to the shrine. At dawn, the priest checks the inclination of the rice grains offered and predicts the harvest for the following year.
• 12/17 (Sat.)
• Midnight
• Free viewing
• Kawatsuki River, Kumano Shrine
• 684 Shiraito, Itoshima City, Fukuoka (Kumano Shrine)
• 092-322-2098 (Itoshima City Tourism Association)
• https://kanko-itoshima.jp/spot/shiraitokanmisogi/
