About「Takaiwa Shrine」

Takaiwa Shrine was built by Jikaku Daishi and is said to have had Yakushi Nyorai as its principal deity. The main shrine, built in 1794 by a certain master builder in Hiyama, is said to have been as large as Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto.

The present shrine beside the rock cave was built in recent years. The main deity, Amida Yakushi Kannon, is a wooden statue by Jikaku Daishi (later replaced by a bronze statue), and the Kannon is the 29th of the 33 places of worship in Akita.

Behind the shrine, there lies a huge beehive-shaped rock that seems to overshadow the shrine which is called Kagome Iwa. On this rock, there is a shrine with a lattice door and a wooden statue of a monkey is enshrined.

Every year, Takaiwa Shrine on Mt. Takaiwa hosts two special winter festivals: Bantoya and Hadaka-Mairi.

Takaiwa Shrine Event : The Bare-Body Pilgrimage (Hadaka-Mairi)

The Hadaka-mairi (naked pilgrimage) is a traditional event that was usually held during the Lunar New Year (January 15th of the lunar calendar) at Takaiwa Shrine, the guardian shrine of the Niageba district of Futatsui―Town of Love Letters in Akita Prefecture.

Clad only in a loincloth, white tabi socks, and straw sandals, pilgrims enter the Fujikoto River and cleanse their bodies by pouring cold water over their heads with a pail. Afterward, with offering money in hand, they silently run 4 km up the snowy mountain path to the shrine.

It is said that this pilgrimage was originally performed by young men who were about to undergo military conscription to pray for good luck and long life in arms, but this practice ceased after the war.

However, around the early 90s, the Niageba Youth Association, who wanted to revive the shrine, which had fallen into disrepair as fewer people visited it, revived the event in order to promote Takaiwa Shrine and the Hadaka-mairi as a local winter event.

Fun fact – it is said that if you make this pilgrimage for three years in a row, your wish will come true!

Takaiwa Shrine Event : Bantoya

During Bantoya, which takes place on the same day as Hadaka-Mairi—Lunar January 15th—snow lanterns are lit along the approach to Takaiwa Shrine (leading up the mountainside) to commemorate the victims of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and to pray for an early recovery.

On a snowy, moonlit night, the glowing snow lanterns lining the path create a mysterious and enchanting atmosphere.