Ōshiraki no Inoko-sama: A Living Harvest Festival in Saga Prefecture
Nestled deep in the mountains of the Nanayama district of Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, the small community of Ōshiraki (大白木) has preserved a remarkable harvest celebration known as "Inoko-sama" for generations. Each autumn, on or around the first Day of the Boar in the tenth month of the traditional lunar calendar, local children don umbrella-shaped straw coverings called "Waratobi" and go from house to house chanting blessings, giving thanks for the rice harvest and praying for the healthy growth of the community's children. In March 2023, Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs recognized this event as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property requiring urgent documentation, making it the 13th such designation in Saga Prefecture.
Historical Background of Inoko Festivals
The Inoko tradition traces its origins to ancient China, where people ate grain-mixed rice cakes during the Hour of the Boar on the Day of the Boar in the Month of the Boar (the tenth lunar month) to ward off illness. This custom was adopted by the Japanese imperial court during the Heian period (794–1185) and appears in classical literature, including Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji. Over time, the practice merged with agricultural harvest rites across western Japan, becoming a celebration of the rice harvest and a time to bid farewell to the deity of the rice paddies, believed to return to the mountains after the growing season.
While many Inoko festivals across western Japan involve children pounding the ground with stone weights or bundled straw, the Ōshiraki version is distinctive. Here, the ritual centers on children wearing Waratobi—cone-shaped coverings made from glutinous rice straw—over their heads and visiting each household in the community, chanting the phrase "Tōbi Tobi Toi Toi Toi" as they circle through the entryways of homes.
Why Inoko-sama Was Designated a Cultural Property
In January 2023, Japan's Council for Cultural Affairs recommended that Ōshiraki no Inoko-sama be selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property requiring urgent documentation. The designation was formally made on March 22, 2023. The council recognized several factors that make this event culturally significant.
First, the practice of children wearing Waratobi straw coverings as they visit homes is a regionally distinctive variation of the broader Inoko tradition found across Kyushu and western Honshu. Second, the event serves a dual purpose: expressing gratitude for the year's rice harvest and celebrating the well-being of the community's children. Third, and most urgently, the festival's future is at risk. Due to rural depopulation and declining birth rates, the community has had to expand the age range of participants to keep the tradition alive. This pressing need for preservation was a key reason the Agency for Cultural Affairs prioritized its documentation.
How the Festival Unfolds
The Inoko-sama festival takes place around the first Day of the Boar in the tenth month of the lunar calendar, typically falling in November. On the day of the event, local elementary and junior high school students—around 15 children in recent years—gather and divide into two groups. Each child puts on a Waratobi, a large umbrella-like covering fashioned from bundled glutinous rice straw, which drapes over the head and shoulders.
The groups then set out to visit approximately 30 households throughout the Ōshiraki community. At each home, the family has prepared offerings of sweets and treats, placed near the hearth deity's altar in the earthen-floored entry area or at the step leading up from the entryway. The children enter the home and circle around the entryway, loudly chanting "Tōbi Tobi Toi Toi Toi" in unison until a designated adult supervisor signals them to move on to the next house.
The scene is enchanting: straw-clad children spinning through dimly lit traditional farmhouse entryways, their voices echoing through the quiet mountain hamlet as twilight settles over the seven surrounding peaks of the Nanayama area.
Visiting the Nanayama Area
The Nanayama district of Karatsu City is a mountainous area surrounded by seven peaks, including Mount Ukidake and Mount Juppō. Though the Inoko-sama festival itself is a community event not generally open to outside spectators, the Nanayama area offers plenty of attractions for visitors throughout the year.
Kannon Falls, selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls, is a 30-meter cascade on a tributary of the Tamashima River. The surrounding 2-kilometer gorge features eight waterfalls and pools, each with its own poetic name, and is a haven for kingfishers and other wild birds. The Nanayama area is also home to a popular farm produce market where locals sell fresh morning-picked vegetables, and the Nanayama Onsen hot spring offers relaxation in mineral-rich waters. The area is approximately 45 minutes from the Saga-Yamato Interchange on the Nagasaki Expressway, or 20 minutes from the Hamatama Interchange on the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway.
Surrounding Attractions
Karatsu City itself is well known for its scenic coastline, including the pine-lined Niji no Matsubara beach and the famous morning squid (ika) cuisine of the Yobuko fishing port. Karatsu Castle overlooks the sea and is particularly beautiful during cherry blossom season. The annual Karatsu Kunchi festival, held every November, features spectacular floats and is designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. For visitors interested in ceramics, Karatsu-yaki pottery studios and galleries are scattered throughout the city.
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Q＆A
- What is Ōshiraki no Inoko-sama?
- It is a traditional harvest festival in the Ōshiraki district of Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. Children wear straw coverings called Waratobi and visit homes in the community, chanting blessings to give thanks for the rice harvest and pray for children's healthy growth.
- When does the festival take place?
- It is held around the first Day of the Boar in the tenth month of the traditional lunar calendar, which usually falls in November.
- Can tourists attend the festival?
- The Inoko-sama festival is a small community event in a rural mountain hamlet and is not generally organized as a public spectator event. However, the Nanayama area offers many other attractions for visitors year-round.
- What does the chant "Tōbi Tobi Toi Toi Toi" mean?
- The exact meaning of the chant has become unclear over time, but it is believed to be an invocation of blessings and good fortune, passed down orally through generations of children in the community.
- Why was this festival designated as a cultural property?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs recognized it in 2023 as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property requiring documentation, due to its distinctive regional character—particularly the use of Waratobi straw coverings—and the urgent need for preservation as rural depopulation threatens its continuity.
Basic Information
| Name | Ōshiraki no Inoko-sama (大白木の亥の子さま) |
|---|---|
| Category | Intangible Folk Cultural Property (記録作成等の措置を講ずべき無形の民俗文化財) |
| Designation Date | March 22, 2023 |
| Location | Ōshiraki district, Nanayama Shiraki, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture |
| Time of Year | Around the first Day of the Boar in the tenth lunar month (typically November) |
| Access | Approximately 45 minutes by car from Saga-Yamato IC (Nagasaki Expressway), or 20 minutes from Hamatama IC (Nishi-Kyushu Expressway) |
| Contact | Karatsu City Tourism Division: 0955-72-9127 |
References
- 大白木の亥の子さま - 文化遺産オンライン
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/559625
- 国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/312/00001022
- 【動画】「亥の子さま」収穫祝う - 佐賀新聞
- https://www.saga-s.co.jp/articles/-/1149529
- 大白木の亥の子さま、記録すべき文化財に - 佐賀新聞
- https://www.saga-s.co.jp/articles/-/978488
- 七山エリア観光情報 - さがじかん
- https://www.sagajikan.com/yomimono/1385/
- 観音の滝 - あそぼーさが（佐賀県観光サイト）
- https://www.asobo-saga.jp/spots/detail/6447a053-385a-49ca-b684-a60b95470e64
Last verified: 2026.04.08