Harvest Festival

The Harvest Festival, also known as Hōnensai, is a Shinto fertility festival held annually on March 15 at Tagata Shrine in Komaki. It is the shrine’s most important ritual event and is dedicated to prayers for abundant harvests, the growth of all living things, and the prosperity of future generations.

Central to the festival is the dedication of a large wooden phallic object, known as the Ō-owase-gata (also called yōbutsu). This symbolic offering, carved anew each year from Japanese cypress (hinoki), measures over two meters in length and represents generative power and fertility. The carving process itself is ritualised, beginning with the Onoire-sai (First Axe Ceremony) on March 3, during which the first ceremonial cut is made into the sacred log.

The festival day features a mikoshi procession that carries several sacred objects from a temporary shrine (otabisho) – designated each year from nearby shrines such as Shinmei Shrine or Kumano Shrine – to Tagata Shrine. The procession includes three types of portable shrines: the Gyoren, which carries sacred treasures; the Gozen Mikoshi, enshrining a deity associated with the shrine; and the Yōbutsu Mikoshi, which bears the large phallic offering. These are carried by designated men, traditionally 42-year-olds considered to be in a pivotal age of life.

Women known as the Goninshū (Five Attendants), selected through a ritual lottery held on February 20, also take part by carrying smaller symbolic objects and accompanying the procession. Shinto priests, musicians performing gagaku court music, and participants in traditional attire further contribute to the ceremonial atmosphere.

Upon arrival at Tagata Shrine, a solemn grand ritual (reitaisai) is conducted, after which the sacred objects are placed within the shrine buildings. The festival concludes with a celebratory rice-cake scattering, marking the successful completion of the rites.