The ritual revolves around the “Tobiume (flying plum tree),” a tree believed to have flown overnight from Kyoto to honor Sugawara Michizane, the deity of Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. A priest initiates the ritual by shaking the branches of the Tobiume using a green bamboo stick. Following this, shrine maidens collect each fallen plum seed individually. The collected plums are then dedicated to the deity and subsequently crafted into “Tobiume Omamori,” a unique good-luck charm said to be once-in-a-lifetime. Once the initial part of the ritual concludes, priests, priestesses, and shrine staff members join in to harvest plums from the remaining 6,000 plum trees within the shrine grounds.
• 5/17 (Wed.)
• 9:00~
• Free viewing
• Dazaifu Tenmangu Honden
• 4-7-1 Saifu, Dazaifu City, Fukuoka
• https://www.dazaifutenmangu.or.jp/
• Kyushu Live – How to Make Umeshu and the Legend of the Flying Plum Tree! (May 2022)
