Traditional Ritual Held in Ishikawa Pref. to Thank Deity, Pray for Bountiful Harvest

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:40 JST, December 6, 2025

WAJIMA, Ishikawa — A traditional ritual called Aenokoto was held to express gratitude to a deity of agriculture in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Friday.

The ritual, which is distinctive to the Okunoto area, is intended to invite the deity in from the rice fields to rest during winter. It has been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

A similar ritual to send the deity back and pray for a bountiful harvest is performed in February.

As the building originally used for the ritual was damaged in the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, Friday’s event took place in an old Japanese-style house, which has been used as a base for disaster relief activities by volunteer workers.

During the ritual, Sakae Koyama, 75, head of a local community center, acted as the host and guided the deity indoors. After inviting the deity to bathe, he served a meal consisting of items such as sekihan red rice, sea bream and ohagi, a traditional Japanese sweet made from rice and azuki red bean paste, saying, “Please enjoy your meal.”

“I was able to experience the immersive atmosphere of a traditional ritual unique to Noto,” a first-year high school student from Kanazawa said afterward.