Kokai is a small village with the smallest population among the seven regions of the island. However, with its beautiful Himemiya Shrine as well as traces of branch schools, it might have had a prosperous past. If Kōri was considered the “capital” of the south, then Kokai was the “capital” of the north.

As for Jamaki or the straw snake ritual, whereas other regions mainly reserve the work to males, here females also help to make up for the lack of people. In place of the original sacred tree, which had fallen down, the jamaki is wrapped around a substitute. It is tied in a way that makes it appear to crawl over from the adjacent shrine, while the sacred paper and seaweed attached to the jamaki represent a feature unique to Kokai.