Nanakusa Porridge and Bird-Chasing Rite at Kawahara Historical Folk Museum

At Kawahara Historical Folk Museum in Watariicchiki, Kawahara-cho, Tottori, the folk ritual "Nanakusa Porridge and Bird-Chasing" has been held every January since 1980. A toshiotoko (a man born in a cyclical "year of fortune") faces the year's lucky direction by the hearth and performs the "tori-oi" (bird-chasing) rite, striking a cutting board laid with the seven herbs alternately with a pestle, fire tongs, and a kitchen knife while chanting, joined by local schoolchildren and residents praying for a bountiful harvest and a year free of disaster. Everyone then eats nanakusa porridge together, praying for good health. The ritual is handed down locally as a folk prayer for a good harvest performed during the period when the New Year deity is welcomed.