Awashima Shrine Hina Nagashi

A solemn ritual held at Awashima Shrine, considered the birthplace of the nagashi-bina tradition. Hina dolls sent from across Japan are loaded onto three white wooden boats and floated out to sea at Kada. The ceremony begins at noon with purification and offering rites, followed by loading the dolls around 12:30. At about 12:40, the boats are carried by devotees to the shore, and around 1:10 PM, after the head priest's prayers, the white wooden boats are released to sea while shrine maidens scatter a thousand paper cranes. The sight of countless dolls donated from across Japan lining the shrine grounds is equally impressive.