（県央）にかほ市 小滝地域／Kotaki in Nikaho city
平成３０年１月７日撮影／January 7th,2018
金峰神社（にかほ市象潟町）で、今年の米の作柄や天候などを占う600年以上続く伝統の「曼荼羅（まんだら）餅占い」が行われました。
Kinpou Shrine, located in Kisakata town in Nikaho City, performs a traditional mandala that carries a long history. This mandala is called “Mandala Mochi Uranai”, which means a rice cake fortune telling mandala. It has been performed for over 600 years for fortune telling for the prediction of how the rice crop and climate will be for the year.
獅子舞の奉納など神事の後、当番町の年男がついた三升の餅の光沢や凹凸等から「作柄」を判定。次に餅を裏返して「社会情勢」を、そして最後に餅の上にお札を置いて、四方に火を付け、燃え方から風雨を占いました。
その餅を年男が十二等分に切り分け、宮司が今年の恵方（南南東）に放った後、氏子や参加者に振る舞われました。
After rituals and offerings such as Shishimai are dedicated, the oldest son that is in charge of the town at the time the ritual is realized, decides the rice crop of the year by looking at the Mochi’s gloss and surface. Afterwards, the Mochi is turned over to the “Eyes of the society” then, a bill is put on its top, and lastly, fire is placed around the Mochi, in four directions to burn it. This part of the ritual is used to predict the rain and the wind’s circumstances by observing how the Mochi burns. The Mochi is provided to the Shrine parishioner and the participants, after it is divided into 12 pieces and the priest throws the mocha to the direction of Eho, the favorable direction.
○作柄
上郷など3地区は豊作、他の3地区は平年作。
○社会情勢
穏やかな一年でしょう。
○上期は北風、下期は西風がやや強く、雨量は下期が多い。
周辺情報
取材：情報発信推進員 鐙長秀
この餅を食べると家内安全、無病息災に繋がるそうで、私も一切れ頂きました。