A New Year custom in which people visit the small Sarutahiko Shrine in the early morning to line up and buy monkey masks handmade by Hakata ningyo doll makers. The masks are hung in front of houses to ward off evil spirits, as the Japanese word for “monkey” (saru) is a homophone of the word “go away.” Read more about this unique event here.
Photo from Sarutahiko Shrine
• 1/2 (Mon.)
• 7:00~18:00
• Free entry (monkey mask: ¥1,000)
• Sarutahiko Shrine
• 1-1-41 Fujisaki, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka
• http://sarutahiko-fukuoka.jp/
Kyushu Live – Video Report
Fukuoka’s Monkey Mask Festival – Virtual Tour Japan / 初庚申 猿田彦神社 2022
https://youtu.be/zTAXE1AENn4
