🏮 Shirahige Tahara Doburoku Matsuri
白鬚田原神社どぶろく祭
Kitsuki, Oita (Shirahige Tahara Shrine) · Every year on 17 October
33 days to go
Rooms around Kitsuki, Oita fill up while the festival is on.
The Shirahige Tahara Shrine Doburoku Festival is held every year on October 17 and 18 at Shirahige Tahara Shrine in Kitsuki, Oita Prefecture. It is a major festival in which parishioners offer doburoku (unrefined sake) they have brewed to the gods in gratitude for a bountiful harvest, and visitors are served this sake only on this one day of the year. This ritual has continued without interruption for over 1,300 years since the third year of Wadō (710). Even under current law, where sake brewing is in principle subject to licensing, it has been passed down to this day as an extension of a faith practice carried on since ancient times. Parishioners begin with the "Brewing Commencement Ceremony" on September 25 and brew the doburoku according to rituals handed down from old. The highlight of the festival is the serving of doburoku, which draws people from all over the country seeking the auspicious sacred sake. You can purchase a festival-exclusive "black cup" (1,000 yen) to taste it, and if you make a donation, you can also take some home. On the 17th, Matamizu Kagura and the eve festival are held, and on the 18th, the grand festival and the Shinkō Festival take place; on both days, doburoku is served within the shrine grounds.
Getting there
Public transport: About 30 minutes by bus from JR Kitsuki Station, get off at "Ota" and walk 20 minutes. Car: About 20 minutes from the Oita Airport Road "Kitsuki IC". Parking available.
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