Mibu no Hanataue: UNESCO Rice Planting with Adorned Oxen

On the first Sunday of June every year, a rice paddy in Mibu, Kitahiroshima Town, in the northern hills of Hiroshima Prefecture, becomes a stage. Mibu no Hanataue is a rice-planting ritual in which decorated oxen puddle the flooded field, drummers and flute players set the rhythm, and rows of women in cotton kimono and straw hats plant seedlings while singing. It was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1976 and inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011. It is regarded as the largest surviving hanataue in western Japan.

The Procession of Decorated Oxen

The day begins in the morning, when the oxen gather at Mibu Shrine and set off in a procession known as the michiyuki. Black cattle wearing brightly coloured flower saddles and head ornaments walk through the shopping street towards the paddies, accompanied by the planting women and the musicians. According to the Kitahiroshima Town Tourism Association, around 12 to 13 head take part today; in earlier decades the number sometimes passed 20. At the head of the line walks the omoushi, the lead ox, traditionally chosen for its size and bearing. You hear the heavy tread of hooves on the road, the rattle of ornaments swinging on the saddles, and the murmur of spectators leaning out from the pavement.

Songs and Drums in the Flooded Field

In the afternoon the planting itself begins. Direction comes from the sanbai, who wears a kasuri kimono and a sedge hat and keeps time with a sasara, a split-bamboo clapper. Large and small drums, a hand gong and a flute join in, and to that beat the saotome line up shoulder to shoulder across the water, pushing seedlings into the mud and answering the sanbai's lines with their own. The flooded paddy mirrors the sky and the turned mud gives off a heavy, earthy smell. In the Geihoku region the deity of the rice field is itself called sanbai, and the ritual is an offering made in hope of a good harvest.

Hundreds of Planting Songs

At the heart of hanataue are the planting songs, passed down by ear. The Kitahiroshima Town Tourism Association notes that several hundred of them survive, divided into morning songs, midday songs and closing songs. Which songs are used depends on the time of day and how far the planting has progressed, and they are performed as a call and response between the sanbai and the planting women. Kagura performances are staged on the same day, so a single visit covers much of the region's traditional performing arts.

Tips for Visiting

There are two main events, the morning procession and the afternoon planting, with a long gap between them. The site is open farmland with almost no shade, so a hat, sunscreen and drinking water are worth carrying. You will be walking on gravel and narrow field paths, so wear shoes you do not mind getting dirty. The oxen are live animals: avoid flash photography and sudden movements, and follow staff instructions.

Getting There

By car, the nearest exit is Chiyoda Interchange on the Chugoku Expressway. On the day, free shuttle buses run to the venue from the car parks at Kitahiroshima Town Hall and the Michi-no-Eki Mai Road IC Chiyoda roadside station, and visitors are asked to park at one of these rather than drive to the field itself. By public transport, take a highway bus from Hiroshima Bus Center and alight at Chiyoda Interchange, where you can transfer to the shuttle.

Practical Information

• Date: The first Sunday of June every year
• Venue: Mibu shopping street and the hanataue field, 157 Mibu, Kitahiroshima Town, Yamagata District, Hiroshima Prefecture
• Organiser and enquiries: Mibu Hanataue Preservation Society; Kitahiroshima Town Tourism Association, tel. 0826-72-6908
• Access: By car from Chiyoda Interchange on the Chugoku Expressway; by highway bus, alight at Chiyoda Interchange
• Parking: No general parking at the venue. Park at Kitahiroshima Town Hall or Michi-no-Eki Mai Road IC Chiyoda and take the free shuttle bus
• Designations: Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan (1976); UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (2011)
• Official website: https://www.town.kitahiroshima.lg.jp/site/hanadaue/

* Dates, details and prices are subject to change. Please check the official website before you go.

(Sources: Kitahiroshima Town official website, Kitahiroshima Town Tourism Association official website, Hiroshima Prefecture official website)