Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Ibaraki

Held only once every five years at Sawawachigi Shrine in the Pacific port town of Ōtsu, Kitaibaraki, this is the only festival in Japan in which a five-tonne wooden fishing boat carrying a sacred portable shrine is hauled overland by some five hundred local men, sliding across hundreds of latticed wooden frames to thunderous drums and ancient boatmen's songs. Designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2017, the festival is presented here together with practical visitor information and nearby attractions including the Izura coast and Tenshin's Rokkakudō.