Mashiko Gion Festival (Mashiko Gionsai) began around 1705 (Hoei 2), when an epidemic spread, claiming many lives, crops were damaged by pests, and people, through their faith in Tenno, held the festival to appease vengeful spirits and epidemics. Also, through the festival, they prayed for a good harvest and happiness. The festival is a ritual of Yasaka Shrine, a subordinate shrine within the grounds of Kashima Shrine, and was formerly called the Tenno Festival. Currently, five neighborhood associations (Shinmachi, Tamachi, Dosodo, Jonai, and Uchimachi) of the parishioner district take turns hosting the festival every year. A temporary shrine (okariya) is set up in the host town, and during the Shutsugyosai on the 23rd and the Kangyosai on the 25th, a portable shrine procession is carried out from the shrine. At the handover ceremony on the 24th, the town-designated folk cultural asset "Omiki Chodai-shiki" (Sacred Sake Ceremony), which has been passed down since the Edo period, is held at the host town’s representative's house. The Omiki Chodai-shiki, praying for a bountiful harvest and good health, is considered one of the three great unique festivals in the Kanto region and is the festival’s biggest highlight. The finale of the festival on the 25th features a ritual called “Go-Joran,” where floats are dedicated before the gods.