Most people think of November 23rd (National holiday) as “Labor Thanksgiving Day,” but at shrines all across Japan, there is a festival called “Niinamesai,” which is celebrated in grand fashion.
In Japanese mythology, this festival is said to have originated when the “Amaterasu Ōmikami” devoured the first harvest of the season, while in the real world, since the Asuka period (592 - 710 A.D.), the “Niinamesai” has been celebrated in appreciation of bumper crops.
At SUIGIAN, we celebrate the day of the most important Shinto ritual, “Niinamesai,” with a performance by the 10th grand master of the Ishiyama Shachu school.
Through the “Dance of the Rice Ears” dedicated to Inari ōkami, we offer a promise of everlasting abundance in the five grains.
We have prepared a course meal themed around “Niinamesai,” exclusively for this performance, featuring the flavors of late autumn.
We invite you to spend this special moment with us, together with this performance and fine conversation, enjoyed with the freshest, in-season cuisine―an experience only we can offer.
* Niinamesai: A religious festival conducted to give thanks for good harvests, in which the new rice and grains harvested that year are presented as offerings to the gods, and shared with the Emperor, who partakes in the offerings as well.
* Amaterasu Ōmikami: The “Sun Goddess” called is said to be the chief divinity of Shintoism.
