Minakuchi Festival - Minakuchi Festival

This is one of the rice-growing rituals. When the rice seeds are sown, the rice god is worshiped at the water intake of the rice paddy and prayers are made for the growth of the rice. Branches of seasonal flowers and azaleas are inserted into the ridges of the rice paddy, and roasted rice made from the leftover rice seeds is offered. The ritual is usually held privately with just the family.

In addition, sticks called naejaku and naejirushi were placed in the rice field, and when the seedlings grew to that height they were used as an indication of the right time to plant (transplant). Sometimes chopsticks that had been offered at the Inoko or Daishi ceremonies the previous autumn were kept and used as seedling marks, and they were also thought of as substitutes for the rice field gods to be worshiped.

[Shoji Inoguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

稲作儀礼の一つ。種籾(たねもみ)を播(ま)いたとき、苗代(なわしろ)の水口（取水口）で田の神を祭り、稲の生育を祈願する。季節の草花やツツジなどの枝を畦(あぜ)に挿し、種籾の残りでつくった焼き米を供え、普通、家族だけでひそやかに祭る。

　また苗尺(なえじゃく)、苗印(なえじるし)といって、田の中に棒を立てておき、苗がその高さにまで成長すれば田植（移植）適期の目安にしたが、苗印には前年秋の亥(い)の子や大師(だいし)講に供えた箸(はし)を保存しておいて使うことがあり、田の神を迎え祭る依代(よりしろ)とも考えられていた。

［井之口章次］

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