Kibitsuhiko-jinja 吉備津彦神社
At the summer solstice the sun rises in line with the torii, the shrine's gateway.
According to tradition, the general Ōkibitsuhiko was sent by the court to pacify the Kibi region in the 10th century; having defeated the demon Ura, he stayed in the area and was worshipped there as a living deity. The original complex comprised 51 buildings, shrines and associated temples combined. Among the rites held there, the Otaue-sai (御田植祭), the rice-planting rite of 2–3 August, is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture.
Okayama
Bizen-Ichinomiya
