Yaaa, Hit That Snake!

Kurama-yama Takekiri-eshiki," where green bamboo logs representing great serpents are slashed to ward off disasters, was carried out on June 20 at Kurama-dera Temple in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. Residents dressed as warrior priests shouted energetically as they chopped off bamboo stalks oTakekiri-eshiki is based on an incident of 1,100 years ago, when a holy priest of Kurama-dera Temple vanquished a giant snake. Since the mid-Edo Period, "Omi" and "Tanba" have competed to see which group representing their area could cut bamboo logs fastest in order to predict whether their harvests would be rich or poor.

The ceremony opened to the sound of a conch being blown. The men representing the two areas swung their swords mightily at the bamboo logs, which were roughly five meters long and ten centimeters in diameter, cutting them into five pieces. The Tanba group finished in about a minute to win the contest, at which the crowd of around 700 spectators cheered loudly.

A student at Kurama Elementary School, holding a chunk of broken bamboo in one hand, said, "The banging of the bamboo breaking was really impressive. I want to come next year too."

ne after another.