Cultural Assets－Festivals

The Ebi-matsuri (“Lobster Festival”) is held regularly at Kada Kasuga-jinja Shrine. Since Kada has long been known for its large harvests of Ise-ebi (spiny lobster), offerings of the seafood are made at the shrine on the day of the festival. Today, the festival consists of a procession with a portable shrine by town residents on the third Saturday of May. A taiko drum leads the procession, which includes a lion dance and ceremonial brandishing of long-handled swords, as participants pray for large catches of seafood. Tradition holds that children who are “bitten” by the lion will enjoy sound health.