Gokusui no En ( Winding Stream Festival ) ( Hiraizumi Town )

An elegant poetry contest from the Heian period ( from about the 8th to the 12th century ) is reenacted in this festival at the Pure Land Garden of Motsuji, held on the 4th Sunday of May. Following the opening and announcement of the poetry topic, the Young Woman Dance ( Jakujo ) of the Ennen no Mai longevity rites is performed. Sitting by the feeder stream for the temple garden’s pond, participants clad in Heian-style costumes compose poetry before a floating cup of sake reaches them, after which they take a sip from the cup. During the contest, there are elegant entertainments such as a traditional musical performance on a boat. Finally, the master of ceremonies reads the poems aloud, and this graceful event comes to a close. Like the floating sake cups, time seems to flow slowly and gracefully in this festival.