Half-Naked Men Pound Mochi against Ceiling at Temple in Yamagata Prefecture; Nearly 400-Year-Old Ritual Is Held to Pray for Abundant Crops

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:10 JST, December 5, 2025

YONEZAWA, Yamagata — A traditional year-end event in which half-naked men pound mochi to pray for abundant crops was held at Sengenji temple in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Thursday.

The ritual is said to have begun about 380 years ago. After a devastating pest infestation caused a major crop failure, sand from the temple grounds was scattered over local fields, after which the next harvest was bountiful. Residents preapred mochi as an expression of gratitude, and a tradition was born.

On Thursday, 300 kilograms of rice were prepared. About 20 young men, wearing only hachimaki headbands, white rubber zori sandals and white cotton shorts, pounded the mochi in three wooden mortars, then lifted it and struck it against the ceiling of the temple’s main hall with long wooden rods, shouting “Raise it! Raise the mochi! All the way to Tenjiku!” referring to an old Japanese name for India.