Yaotome, shrine maidens enter Sumiyoshi Taisha's gate for the Rice Planting Festival
Young girls with their uchiwa fans prepare for Sumiyoshi-odori, a dance performed as an expression of welcoming and blessing following the arrival of Sumiyoshi Taisha's enshrined deity, Empress Jingu.
Young boys prepare for Furyumusha. Split into armies of red and white, the infantry fight by striking their staffs together in combat, acting as a charm to ward off pests and insects.
Ueme carry sacred rice seedlings.
Chigo are young girs who accompany the Ueme throughout the ritual.
In a process called shirokaki before the service begins is a process of plowing the fields using a rool called manga which is a rake-like intsrument that breaks up soil to prepare paddy mud for easy planting.
Tomoyakko lead the precession for the rice-planting service. Walking in step, they move along the designated route performing unique movements known as yakkofuri as they call out to one another.
Kaeueme are women who plant rice in the field
Kaeueme.
Mitoshime perform the Mitoshiromai dance on a stage in the center of the rice field. This dance of the dragon god is offered as a prayer for rain.
The bridge at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shinto Shrine in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
