Hiromine Shrine
This is a traditional Shinto ceremony that is believed to bring a good harvest of rice. It is an important festival for Shrine, as they have been worshiping the god of agriculture for many years. The ceremony is designated as an intangible folk cultural property of Himeji City. Along with the prayer festival, this ceremony is performed to pray for a successful rice crop by simulating rice planting and harvesting before the actual rice cultivation of the year. On April 3rd morning, a Shinto priest, dressed in a robe, is accompanied by a group of people to the main Shrine. The group includes an umbrella holder with a Kasa-boko, a hat with artificial cherry blossoms, and a red kimono. During the ceremony, there is a band in white robes and blue hakama playing festival music with flutes and drums. Rice fields are plowed by people wearing straw hats and plow hoes to create a temporary field. Seedlings carrying seedling boxes with balance poles parade in a procession. After reaching the main Shrine, a Kasahoko is set up in front of the main gate, and the Shinto priest prays. Then the rice paddy is divided into three parts for the three types of rice, Wase, Nakate, and Okute, and is filled with sand. A person puts a spade and a hoe in, and then Janohige, which looks like rice seedlings, are planted in each paddy field. The orchestra plays festival music in time with the planting.  In the past, many people would come to the shrine for this festival, but in recent times, the number of visitors has decreased due to the decline of agriculture and the lack of people who can play festival music. The festival was temporarily suspended until 1996 when the local commerce and industry established a commendation society to revive the festival. Currently, three of the Saotomes are responsible for PR activities for Himeji City.