A traditional New Year ritual held at Mekari Shrine overlooking the Kanmon Strait, performed early on Lunar New Year’s Day. The ceremony traces back to a legend from the late 2nd century, when Empress Jingū is said to have offered wakame seaweed from the Hayatomo Strait to the gods upon her victorious return from a military expedition to the Korean Peninsula.
After a kagura dance offering, three priests dressed in traditional robes, eboshi caps, white tabi, and straw sandals enter the low tide waters by torchlight to harvest wakame with sickles. The seaweed is then offered at the shrine to pray for safe voyages and a bountiful catch. This solemn ritual—where darkness, tide, and firelight converge—marks the start of the New Year in Kitakyushu.
写真提供：©M.Sakamoto
• Kagura: Feb. 16, 2026 (Mon.) 23:00~1:00 *cancelled in case of rain.
• Shinji ritual: Feb. 17, 2026 (Tue.) 2:30~4:00 *rain or shine
• Mekari Shrine
• Temporary parking available (50 spaces, Map)
• 3492 Moji, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka
• https://www.mekarijinja.com/mekarisinji
