Taisanji Temple Chikara-mochi (Rice Cake Strength Contest)

About

On the third Sunday of January, Taisanji Temple in Kamiita holds a famous strength contest as part of its New Year hatsue-shiki. Competitors lift a ritual stand bearing an 86 kg kagami-mochi rice cake, 169 kg in total, and walk as far as they can with it. There are divisions for small children, elementary school students, women and men, and spectators find themselves straining and cheering along. The story behind it goes back to the Sengoku period: Shichijo Kanenaka, lord of nearby Shichijo Castle, is said to have prayed here, gained great strength, and in gratitude carried a nine-tiered stone pagoda and rice cakes up to the temple. In the Edo period, the Hachisuka family, rulers of Tokushima, reportedly had their retainers compete by carrying huge rice cakes. Events start at 10:00 with a saito goma fire ritual, fire-walking and a rice-cake scattering, and the strength contest gets underway around 12:30.

Sources

• OfficialTokushima Prefecture Tourism Association (Awanavi) www.awanavi.jp
• OfficialTaisanji Temple taisanji.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

• Ikeda Ebisu Festival
• Ebisu Festival (Kotoshironushi Shrine)
• Ama-no-Iwato Kagura (Matsuo Shrine)