Oku-noto no Aenokoto is an agricultural ritual done by rice farmers in the Noto peninsula. The Noto peninsula projects from Ishikawa prefecture in the center of Japan's main island, Honshu. The Noto and Wajima City, and Noto and Anamizu Towns of Hosu County are long-established rice farming communities that consider the deity of the rice field to be influential, promising an abundant harvest of rice and healthy growth. Two times a year, the ceremony—unique among harvest rituals of Asia—is held in the house of the master of the house who invites the deity of the rice field into the residence, creating the impression that the spirit is present.
In December, to express gratitude for the harvest, a farmer takes a bath and prepares a meal for his guest. The deity is called from the field by the sound of rice cakes being pounded. The farmer welcomes his guest in formal clothes with a lantern and places it in a guest room. He then baths it, and the farmer then offers a meal to the guest. Because the guest is said to have poor eyesight, the host describes the food he serves. Similar rituals are conducted in February before planting crops to ensure a healthy harvest.
These rituals are not known when they began but have continued for at least 200 years. This is because a tableware dish with an inscription from the second half of the eighteenth century has been found in Japan. In the Edo period (1603–1867), when modern agricultural technologies were not available, farmers faced several difficulties in producing rice, notably weather disasters and pests. As Oku Noto is situated between mountains and the sea, it has few open plains. Rice is typically grown in terraced fields that are carved out of the mountains. This process takes a lot of effort. It is thought that the ritual of paying respects to the deities of the rice fields, symbols of nature itself, began as a means to overcome these challenges.
Essentially, this ritual serves as a way of giving thanks for the harvest of the year and praying for another abundant crop in the future. The performance of this ritual can help to ensure the safety and sustainability of rice cultivation in this area, as well as confirm a sense of identity and continuity among the people of this area. As an indispensable agricultural ritual that was transmitted from generation to generation by agricultural households in the area, Oku-noto no Aenokoto reflects the everyday culture of the Japanese, who have been cultivating rice since ancient times. This ritual serves as a marker of identity for the area's farmers. Since the Second World War, the number of families who perform the ritual has decreased as the population of rice farmers has declined in this area. However, efforts to ensure the continuation of the ritual are made by establishing the Association for the Preservation of "Oku-noto no Aenokoto" in 1976 and by securing safeguarding measures by the National Government.
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