Futagami-Imizu-jinja Shrine’s Tsukiyama Ritual

The Tsukiyama Ritual is held each year at Futagami-Imizu-jinja Shrine on April 23rd to pray for a bountiful harvest. The Ritual takes place during the shrine's spring festival.
In ancient times, festivals were held to pray for the descent of gods from the heavens, where they were believed to reside during the rest of the year.
At Futagami-Imizu-jinja Shrine, a Ritual is held on a temporary ritual called a "tsukiyama" [ constructed mountain ], built in front of a large Japanese cedar tree on the grounds. According to legend, the Ritual is held to summon the gods residing on Mt. Futagami and pray for a good harvest.
At the end of the festival, the tsukiyama is immediately dismantled; it is believed that being slow to clean up would anger the gods and bring on a bad harvest.
These immobile tsukiyama eventually developed into moving festival floats called "hikiyama" [ pulled mountains ]. Futagami Shrine's Tsukiyama Ritual is a precious opportunity to understand the origin of these floats and the format of ancient festivals.