🎎 Rice Ear Festival (Fox's Marriage)

The Inaho Festival is a unique event held annually on November 3rd at Hōjō-ji Temple in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is said that those who participate in the festival will be blessed with a happy marriage. The main activity of the festival, "The Fox Wedding," features a parade of people dressed as foxes. At the front of the procession is a rickshaw carrying the bride and groom, who wear white fox masks, followed by relatives, hairdressers, and attendants dressed in formal attire. The identities of the bride and groom are kept secret, even from the staff, adding to the mystique of the event. The festival has a long history, believed to originate from a miraculous legend associated with Hōjō-ji Temple. During the mid-Edo period, the temple's priest lost a set of Buddhist prayer beads, and after a fox couple returned them, they were given a proper burial by the priest. It is said that since then, visitors to the temple have been able to find lost items or things they have been searching for. This legend has evolved into the "Fox Wedding" parade, which has been passed down through generations. The wedding procession begins at the Hanakō Fudō Inari Shrine located within the grounds of Hōjō-ji Temple and proceeds along the old streets to Suō Hanakō Station. Upon reaching Suō Hanakō Station, the bride and groom are surrounded by participants who perform the Inari Ondo dance, after which they return towards Hōjō-ji Temple. After the parade, a traditional san-san-kudo ceremony is held at the nearby Hanakō Community Center, where mochi is thrown. The entire ceremony is open for general visitors to observe.

The festival held at Hōjō-ji Temple features the main event of the "Fox Bride" procession. This ritual is derived from the legend of the fox couple. It is said that participating in the parade can bring about a happy marriage.