Ichinomiya Festival

A ritual with a long tradition in Ichinomiya, Sado

Ichinomiya Festival is the annual festival of Watatsu Shrine, which is one of the nine shrines listed on the shrine register of Engishiki (from the book Regulations of the Engi Era). It is also a high class shrine, which is called Ichinomiya in Sado. The festival features a traditional ritual of Yabusame (horseback archery), a dance by "divine" children, and Ojishi, which travels through streets from door to door in the Hamochi Iioka area, to drive away evil spirits. Also in the area, there are Sado's Botanical Garden and a hot spring spa facility called "Kurtherme Sado".