Held for over 600 years, the Tamaseseri Festival is a dynamic New Year tradition in Hakata. Participants called seriko, wearing traditional loincloths, split into land and sea teams and compete for a 28 cm, 8 kg wooden ball. Touching the ball is believed to bring good luck and protect against misfortune, and the event radiates heat and energy despite the winter chill.
The teams clash along a 250-meter path to the main shrine, fiercely contesting the ball. The event ends when the final holder hands it to the shrine priest. If the sea team prevails, it foretells a bountiful catch; if the land team wins, a good harvest. Still widely celebrated, the festival is seen as a way to divine the fortune of the year ahead.
• 1/3 (Sat.)
• 13:00~14:30
• Free viewing
• Hakozaki Shrine (Tamatori Ebisu Shrine ~ inside Hakozaki Shrine)
• 1-22-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka
• https://www.hakozakigu.or.jp/omatsuri/tamatorisai/
