Senbon Mochitsuki Rice Pounding at Mizumadera Temple

About

Mizumadera Temple in Kaizuka holds New Year services from January 1 to 3, and on January 2 and 3 they include Senbon Mochitsuki, a rice-pounding rite designated an intangible cultural property by the city. Members of the local guild known as the young men's group pound the rice with wooden poles to a long song of fourteen verses that opens with a shout; most verses are thought to date from the Edo period, and lyrics gathered in recent years are sung too. Legend says sixteen children who guided the monk Gyoki, the temple's founder, to this spot were overjoyed when the principal Kannon image appeared, so they cut poles from trees and pounded rice cakes to a song as an offering, which is said to be the origin of the temple's protective yakuyoke mochi. The temple calls it the only rite handed down here since ancient times, and it has been performed at events such as Expo '70 in Osaka.

Sources

• OfficialMizumadera Temple mizumadera.or.jp
• OfficialMizumadera Temple mizumadera.or.jp

Last checked: Oct 11, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.

Other events this month

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• Kayura Divination Rite at Hiraoka Shrine
• Doya Doya at Shitennoji Temple (Shushoe Closing Ceremony)