🏮 Uso Kae Shinji
うそかえ神事
Koto, Tokyo (Kameido Tenjin Shrine) · Every year on 24 January
132 days to go
Rooms around Koto, Tokyo fill up while the festival is on.
The Uso-kae Shinji ritual is held on January 24 and 25 at Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Koto Ward, Tokyo. Known for its wisteria flowers, the shrine has been familiar to common people since the Edo period as a center of Tenjin worship in the Kanto region, and since 1820 a Shinto ceremony of exchanging uso figurines has continued. In this ritual, participants return the wooden uso they received the previous year to the shrine and receive a new one. The uso is considered a lucky charm that turns the year's misfortunes into "lies" and invites good fortune, and by exchanging it they pray for happiness and success in the new year. The 25th is the year's first "Tenjin-sama" day honoring the enshrined Sugawara no Michizane, and as part of the Sho-go-kuchi-sai, traditional Shinto music and dance are offered. Many worshippers attend and greet the new year according to ancient customs.
Getting there
About 10 minutes on foot from JR Kameido Station, about 10 minutes on foot from JR Kinshicho Station, about 15 minutes on foot from Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line Oshiage Station, or get off at the Toei Bus "Kameido Tenjin Shrine" stop.
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