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Takekiri-e-shiki (bamboo-cutting ceremony) is a ritual in which green bamboo poles (4 m long and 10 cm in diameter) symbolizing giant serpents are cut into five pieces to ward off calamities and pray for a bumper harvest. The ritual is based on the traditional tale of Buen Shonin, the restorer of Kurama Temple, who fought and killed a giant serpent. At 14:00, to the sound of the conch shell, Kurama priests dressed as warrior priests appear and separate into two teams representing the two districts of Omi and Tamba. Following takenarashi, the cutting of the bamboo into pieces the same length, the teams compete to slice the bamboo with a sword. It is said that the district represented by the winning team will enjoy a good harvest. |