TAB Event - "Okonai: The Shape of Festivals" Exhibition

"Okonai: The Shape of Festivals" Exhibition

This event has ended.
At INAX Gallery 1 & 2
Media: Crafts, Other

Shiga Prefecture is known even within Japan as a beautiful region of lakes and many festivals. The "Okonai" rite that is performed at the beginning of the year to ensure safety in the villages and a bountiful harvest of five grains is one of the strongest rituals linking villagers to certain deities in Japanese religious belief, one of many that have been passed down and transmitted in this prefecture. The central practice in the Okonai ritual is the offering of meals and devotional tributes to the gods, accompanied by decorative flower arrangements and temple solicitation ropes. Okonai plays an important role as a communication tool between the villagers and deities, but this one ritual takes on myriad variations and faces depending on the area. This exhibition showcases the rich variety and singularity of this one ritual, including the accompanying ornaments, tools and accessories.