Gitchhohoi Gitchhohoi

Date: December 31, 2023 (Sunday) - January 3, 2024 (Wednesday)

Wishing for a bountiful year of fishing and harvest while chanting “Gichhohoi!”

It is a festival held during the year-end and New Year holidays to pray for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

It begins with the ``Uo no Ban'' (fish pickled and worshiped) on December 31st, followed by the ``Hama no Miya'' (described later) on January 1st, the ``Mochi no Ban'' (mochi pounding) on January 2nd, and 1 The festival consists of four days, including the ``Hatake prayer'' (cutting the mochi from the rice cake turn into diamond shapes and delivering them to the temple) on the third day of the month. *"Hatake prayer" will not be held in 2020.

At the ``Hama no Yori'' held on January 1st, which is open to the general public, fish that had been salted during the ``Fish Count'' the day before will be cut and distributed to participants and onlookers, followed by a ``Giccio Meeting.'' In the ``Giccio no Ki'' ceremony, a kazura that looks like a whale and wishes for good luck is lifted up with an oak stick and thrown twice toward the sea and once toward the mountain. At this time, they shout "Gichchohoi!" which is the origin of the name. Afterwards, the ritual is completed by poking the chasuble floating in the sea with an oak stick and making a final offering.

Please come to Furue for the New Year!