We present you a special New Year’s event at Hakozaki Shrine in Fukuoka city – Tamaseseri.

Tamaseseri, which has been celebrated for over 500 years, takes always place on January 3 at Hakozaki Shrine and is beside the Hojoya Festival in September one of the main festivals of the shrine.

In this event, two teams of half naked men will participate. One team represents the farmers, the other team the fishermen. Both teams will carry around a 8-kg ball called “takara-no-tama” and hand it over to their teammates during a competition. It is said to bring luck if you are able to lift the ball over your head to a teammate.  The man will also carry each other on the shoulders making it more difficult to hand the ball over. Depending on the winning team, that hands over the ball to the Shinto priest first, the next year will either bring a rich harvest or a large catch. During the game, the participants are splashed with cold water, so you should watch out if standing in front row.

Many spectators come to see this event, as many Japanese also go to Hatsumode (the first shrine visit of the year). That is why you will also find a lot of food stalls to enjoy Japanese snacks and festival food. So how about celebrating your Japanese New Year at Hakozaki Shrine next time?

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