Suhoteisai Festival

This unusual ritual festival is sometimes described as one of Japan’s most distinctive traditional events. According to local tradition, its origins date back more than 1,800 years to the reign of Emperor Chuai, and it is associated with a legendary battle at Toyoura-no-miya (Toyoura Palace). The festival is said to commemorate the imperial victory and to honour those who died in the conflict.

Legend recounts that after the enemy leader was defeated, imperial forces celebrated by dancing around his remains, an act believed to be the origin of the ritual known as Suhotei. The enemy’s head was buried at the site and marked with a stone, later called the “Oni-ishi” (Demon Stone) because the face was said to resemble that of a demon. Subsequent departures for and returns from military campaigns were also marked by dances around this stone.

In modern times, the festival has been designated an Intangible Cultural Property of Yamaguchi Prefecture. Over a period of seven nights, participants gather each evening to perform ritual dances around the Oni-ishi. Men carry tall nobori banners, while women carry bamboo poles decorated with lanterns known as kiriko. The dances are accompanied by the sounds of gongs and drums and are conducted as a formal Shinto ritual. Some of the banners can reach approximately 30 meters in length and weigh up to 100 kilograms, requiring significant strength and training to handle.