Within the forest of Jingu stands Kaminomii Shrine, which enshrines the god of water and where the main object of worship is a well.

In Higoto-asa-yu-omike-sai, everyday the water is fetched from Kaminomii Shrine. While retrieving this sacred water the priests proceed with awe and caution, making sure that their figures do not reflect on the water’s surface.

Yet, the well in Kaminomii Shrine is a natural well. There are even some days when the well dries out. Nevertheless, the Higoto-asa-yu-omike-sai can’t be performed without water, which is why Shimonomii Shrine exists. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the main object of worship here is a well too.

Until the water is retrieved for the day, the water retrieved from the previous day is stored. Of course, this ties to the thought that the ritual must go on. The reason why Higoto-asa-yu-omike-sai has not ceased in 1500 years likely lies in these small details.

Hedging risks is not limited to just water. Within the Ise Jingu site is “Jingu Kanda”, rice fields raised by the people of the shrine. A lack of rice harvest from a destructive typhoon, a disease spreading throughout the field and wiping out all the rice—these are things that cannot be allowed to happen. To prevent them, the people of the shrine raise different kinds of rice and change their planting seasons.