Tanaka Kayu-Ura Rice Divination (Hachiman Shrine)

About

On January 14, Hachiman Shrine in Tanaka, Ryuo, reads the coming rice harvest from a pot of cooked rice. In front of the Bishamon hall, elders called otona boil rice over a wood fire in a large cauldron, using rice collected the previous day from every household in the village. Three green bamboo tubes, marked for early, mid-season and late varieties, sit in the boiling pot; when the rice is ready they are split, and how densely each is packed shows how that variety will do. Farmers still treat this as one guide to which rice to grow. When the tubs of rice are put down before the group representatives to cries of "sora, sora, sora," they rush to grab it. Such divinations were once found in farming villages everywhere, but Tanaka is now the only place that keeps the custom.

Sources

• OfficialRyuo Town Tourism Association ryuoh.org
• OfficialBiwako Visitors Bureau (Shiga Tourism Information) www.biwako-visitors.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

• Nagahama Bonbai Exhibition (Bonsai Plum Show at Keiunkan)
• Katsube Fire Festival