The music is played lively, but solemnly. Somehow people who are excited gather.
The Koreitaisai, which is held at Taga Taisha on April 22nd every year, is the most important event of the year at Taga Taisha. It is also called 'Taga Matsuri' by the locals, and 'Uma Matsuri' because many horses are accompanied by horses.

A total of 500 parishioners dressed in samurai and court noble costumes parade around the shrine with horses. The annual spring festival to pray for a bountiful harvest and world peace is a traditional event that has been handed down in this area since the Kamakura period.

The first ceremony starts as early as January 3rd, and on this day, the ceremony for the main characters of the festival, Batojin and Goshiden, is held. In April, both Batojin and Goshiden perform a ceremony to welcome the gods, a large ceremony to offer offerings to the gods, and a yomiya festival.

On the day of the festival, the grand festival starts at 8:30 am, and at 10:00 am, the procession is arranged and the parade departs. The procession is centered on horsemen and ambassadors, with a total of 500 people, including parishioners and venerable parishioners and 40-odd horses, as well as mikoshi and phoenix attendants.

The procession begins with Kurisu's 'Tsurinomiya', but Batojin and Ambassador head separately to the lower reaches of the Inukami River, and after performing a ceremony on the riverbed called Hindai, around 2:00 p.m. , join the line in front of the head office.

After performing a ceremony called "Tominoki Watashishiki" at Uchigobaba in Amago, all the participants depart for the head office at 3:30 in the afternoon. This is the so-called “honwatari” and is the biggest highlight of the festival.

At 5:00 pm, the chief priest, priests, and all parties involved in the festival perform the “Sunset Ritual” three times around the main shrine, ending the day of the festival. The next day, at the post-banquet, they announce to the gods that the grand festival has ended successfully. The series of ceremonies is a divine ceremony, and the horse head man and the messenger each send off the gods, and all the ceremonies end.

In Omi, I was able to witness an ancient Shinto ritual. It was a festival suitable for the spring festival of the lake country, which is still recreated by men and women of all ages in the area.