Sobataka Jinja Moustache Festival

Sobataka Jinja Moustache Festival

Every year near our house there is a very interesting, if not somewhat bizarre festival ,which takes place at a historic shrine, .

This shrine was established in year eighteen of the Jinmu-tennō reign, which began in 660 BCE. Keep in mind Jinmu-tennō is said to be a descendent of not only our cherished Sun Goddess Amaterasu, but of the Storm God Susanoo as well.

Just to give you some perspective this is 2,532 years ago.

The name of the festival is higenadematsuri (literally stroking the whiskers festival), it takes place on the second Sunday every January.

The festival was established to honour the great Japanese Samurai of the , who happened to wear a moustache

was the founder and the first shōgun of the shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199

Back to the festival.

There are two rival teams, and one of these teams puts on a fake moustache.

They then proceed to have a drinking contest.

They count how many (large) cup of sake the teams consume, and they count the number of sake cups drank by putting long bamboo sticks with pieces of fish on the end into a bamboo vessel.

Some of these guys drink 7 or 8 cups (large) until one side gives up.

These ladies gave me .

In the video below He says, “these guys are now working on cup (large) number 5.

Please come and join us here in the Land Of The Rising Son on the second Sunday of January and you can enjoy this incredible spectacle as one of your many unique experience in Japan.