Parishioners working to hang shimenawa straw ropes around the sacred husband & wife camphor tree (夫婦楠) just inside the entrance to Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture during the Ōkusu Shimenawa-kake Shinji ritual (大楠注連縄掛神事) held on the fourth day of June and December

Image from the shrine's official website

Celebrating the "Owase Jinja O-Sengū O-Kihiki Shinji" or rites and festivities attending the dedication of lumber for the periodic rebuilding of Ise Jingū Grand Shrine (伊勢神宮) by Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture on November 3, 1976

photo from the collection of satuki237

The Lion Mask Rite being performed during the final day of the Yaya Matsuri (ヤーヤ祭) at Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture on February 5, 2023, with festivities scaled back to a few essential rites again this year as a measure to prevent coronavirus infection

Image from the city’s official Twitter account

A small sub-shrine to Inari (稲荷), deity of bountiful harvests and prosperous productivity, on the grounds of Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Photo by 狭野の人 [Sano no Hito], July 2021

Bright lights illuminating the sacred grounds at midnight during on the eve of the festive five days of the Yaya Matsuri (ヤーヤ祭) at Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Photo by the city’s official Twitter account on January 31, 2023

A boat parade with a sacred palanquin as the final phase of the autumn festival of Miki Jinja Shrine (三木神社) in Mikiura, Owase City, Mie Prefecture

Photo by 東紀州地域の漁村を撮る人 [Higashi Kishū Chiiki no Gyoson wo Toru Hito] on November 5, 2023 (see source)

Ebisu Jinja Shrine (恵比寿神社) near the harbor in the Minato Machi neighborhood of Owase, Mie Prefecture, dating at least as far back as 1764, annually every October 20th the focus of prayers and rites carried out by fishermen for safety at sea and bountiful catches

Image from Owase’s official twitter account (see source)

A Hatsumōde (初詣) New Year’s visit to Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Image from a short December 31, 2021 article in the Chūnichi Shinbun (中日新聞) describing the shrine’s new year preparations and decorations (See source)

Some final adjustments before practicing for the archery rite that will take place here at Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) on the final day of the Yaya Matsuri (ヤーヤ祭) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Undated photo from sometime in the 1970′s in the collection of satuki237 (see source)

Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture, founding date unclear as shrine records were lost in the earthquakes & tsunamis of 1707 and 1854, but attested to in other sources at least as early as 1597, with the current location and orientation established in the late 1660′s

Photo by Yasuyuki Hirata, July 2021 (see source)

A lion dance during the concluding rites of the Yaya Matsuri (ヤーヤ祭) at Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Image from the shrine’s official website (see source)

Fencing along the perimeter of Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture, with the sacred husband & wife camphor tree (夫婦楠) to the right and a banner announcing the upcoming Yaya Matsuri (ヤーヤ祭) February 1st-5th to the left

Photo by Asturio Cantabrio, January 2020 (see source)

Folks decorating Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) for an upcoming revitalization rite (招魂祭 “Shōkonsai” or “Shōkon no Matsuri”) on April 15th, 1984 in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Photo from the collection of satuki237 (see source)

Waiting with lanterns emblazoned with the emblem of each neighborhood of the town on the eve of the Yaya Matsuri (ヤーヤ祭) at Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Image from Mie Prefecture’s online sightseeing guide (see source)

The final day of the Yaya Matsuri (ヤーヤ祭) on February 5, 2022, with the various festivities at Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) abbreviated and scaled back to a few essential rites as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus

Image from the official Twitter account of Owase City, Mie Prefecture (see source)

The O-Tobirahiraki Rite (御扉開き), at which the town’s deity is called forth from the shrine’s inner sanctum at midnight on the first of February in order to kick off the festive five days of the Yaya Matsuri (ヤーヤ祭) at Owase Jinja Shrine (尾鷲神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Image from the shrine’s official website (see source)