Women Dressed in Kimono Offer Prayers at 3 Temples in Central Japan City; Traditional Festival Said to be More Than 200 Years Old

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:07 JST, January 16, 2025

HIDA, Gifu — Women dressed in kimono visited three temples in Hida, Gifu Prefecture, for the Santera Mairi Festival on Wednesday night.

The traditional event is to remember the virtues of Shinran, the founder of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhism sect.

Nearby streets were illuminated by about 2-meter-high setsuzo rosoku (snow statue candles), along with many smaller candles, called senbon rosoku (a thousand candles).

The festival, in which people visit Enkoji Temple, Shinshuji Temple and Honkoji Temple, is said to be more than 200 years old.

The event is also considered to bring good luck for those hoping to find a significant other. In the Meiji and Taisho eras, women who worked at silk mills in the Nagano Prefecture area would return home, dress nicely and visit temples, providing a good opportunity for them to meet men.

Sisters in their 20s who live in the area took part in the event. The two said they offered prayers and expressed gratitude for what they had and for the people around them.