[kiond] The 'Jingu Shikinen Sengu', the Greatest Jingu Festival Held Once Every 20 Years, Begins | kiond × VISON Hotel Management × Taiki Town Tourism Association Realize the First Public Participation Tour for the Folk Event [Takihara-no-miya Okihiki]
kiond, VISON, and Taiki Town Tourism Association will host a special tour on April 11-12, 2026, allowing the public to participate in the once-in-20-years 'Okihiki' ritual at Takihara-no-miya to address the local shortage of festival bearers.
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- 📰 Published: April 4, 2026 at 00:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 17:10
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 03:17 (418h 7m after Collected)
kiond, operated by KAZOC Inc. (Location: Taki-cho, Mie Prefecture / Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, CEO: Yoshiyuki Kuribayashi), as a joint project with VISON Hotel Management and the Taiki Town Tourism Association, will hold the '63rd Jingu Shikinen Sengu Takihara-no-miya Okihiki Special Towing Tour' on Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12, 2026.
This is an unprecedented participatory experience tour where general participants can join as 'Special Shrine Domain Residents' in the folk event 'Okihiki', held only once every 20 years at 'Takihara-no-miya', a subsidiary shrine of Ise Jingu / Kotai Jingu (Naiku). It will be conducted in partnership with H.I.S. Co., Ltd.
■ 4 Key Points
(1) 'Another Shikinen Sengu' running concurrently with Ise Jingu
The Shikinen Sengu of Ise Jingu is Japan's grandest Shinto ritual known worldwide, but a Shikinen Sengu in a similar format is held simultaneously at Takihara-no-miya, a subsidiary shrine of Kotai Jingu.
With over 2,000 years of history as the 'Distant Shrine of the Great Deity', Takihara-no-miya has gathered deep reverence since ancient times. This shrine, less known from urban areas, is the stage for 'another Shikinen Sengu' breathing deep within Ise. 'Okihiki' is a traditional event where timber for the newly rebuilt shrine building is loaded onto towing carts, pulled, and dedicated to the sacred grounds. It is not just an event, but a special time to feel the connection between people, gods, and the community. Although it is now a precious opportunity for people from outside the town to participate, the chance comes only once every 20 years, and only once during the first year. It is a 'once-in-a-lifetime folk event' where you never know when you might be able to participate again.
(2) The only opportunity to experience a 2,000-year-old folk event as a bearer
Okihiki was once passed down as a service by the residents of the shrine domain. However, in modern Taiki Town, amid advancing depopulation, declining birthrates, and aging, the shortage of bearers has become a serious regional issue. This time, kiond, VISON Hotel Management, and the Taiki Town Tourism Association have collaborated to welcome general participants as 'Special Shrine Domain Residents' to jointly bear the folk event itself—creating a new attempt at a problem-solving participatory experience tour.
(3) Includes a lecture on wood and culture by a 'Committee Member from 20 Years Ago'
On the day before the folk event, a 'Towing Group Formation Ceremony' will be held at the hands-on experience facility 'kiond' inside VISON.
- Lecture by Mr. Shinichi Deguchi, Takihara Grand Festival Executive Committee
- Making commemorative chopsticks using cypress, the same wood species as the sacred tree (1 pair per person)
- Distribution of costumes (Happi coat, bean-patterned headband, tenugui towel, wooden tag)
- Orientation for the folk event the next day
'Why 20 years?' 'Why is this wood used?'—A feature of this tour is that you can learn the meaning and background of Japanese culture before participating in the folk event. Because it is a 2-day event of 'experiencing after knowing', your understanding and emotion for Okihiki will deepen.
This is an unprecedented participatory experience tour where general participants can join as 'Special Shrine Domain Residents' in the folk event 'Okihiki', held only once every 20 years at 'Takihara-no-miya', a subsidiary shrine of Ise Jingu / Kotai Jingu (Naiku). It will be conducted in partnership with H.I.S. Co., Ltd.
■ 4 Key Points
(1) 'Another Shikinen Sengu' running concurrently with Ise Jingu
The Shikinen Sengu of Ise Jingu is Japan's grandest Shinto ritual known worldwide, but a Shikinen Sengu in a similar format is held simultaneously at Takihara-no-miya, a subsidiary shrine of Kotai Jingu.
With over 2,000 years of history as the 'Distant Shrine of the Great Deity', Takihara-no-miya has gathered deep reverence since ancient times. This shrine, less known from urban areas, is the stage for 'another Shikinen Sengu' breathing deep within Ise. 'Okihiki' is a traditional event where timber for the newly rebuilt shrine building is loaded onto towing carts, pulled, and dedicated to the sacred grounds. It is not just an event, but a special time to feel the connection between people, gods, and the community. Although it is now a precious opportunity for people from outside the town to participate, the chance comes only once every 20 years, and only once during the first year. It is a 'once-in-a-lifetime folk event' where you never know when you might be able to participate again.
(2) The only opportunity to experience a 2,000-year-old folk event as a bearer
Okihiki was once passed down as a service by the residents of the shrine domain. However, in modern Taiki Town, amid advancing depopulation, declining birthrates, and aging, the shortage of bearers has become a serious regional issue. This time, kiond, VISON Hotel Management, and the Taiki Town Tourism Association have collaborated to welcome general participants as 'Special Shrine Domain Residents' to jointly bear the folk event itself—creating a new attempt at a problem-solving participatory experience tour.
(3) Includes a lecture on wood and culture by a 'Committee Member from 20 Years Ago'
On the day before the folk event, a 'Towing Group Formation Ceremony' will be held at the hands-on experience facility 'kiond' inside VISON.
- Lecture by Mr. Shinichi Deguchi, Takihara Grand Festival Executive Committee
- Making commemorative chopsticks using cypress, the same wood species as the sacred tree (1 pair per person)
- Distribution of costumes (Happi coat, bean-patterned headband, tenugui towel, wooden tag)
- Orientation for the folk event the next day
'Why 20 years?' 'Why is this wood used?'—A feature of this tour is that you can learn the meaning and background of Japanese culture before participating in the folk event. Because it is a 2-day event of 'experiencing after knowing', your understanding and emotion for Okihiki will deepen.