Every year on September 9th, the Chrysanthemum Festival (Chōyō) day, Taga Taisha holds an autumn festival called “Koreisai” to pray for a bountiful harvest, and the divine sumo ritual performed at this festival is known as “Kochikochi Sumo.” It is said to have originated in remembrance of the ancient event when the Yamata no Orochi serpent was defeated on Mount Ibuki. According to tradition, the sumo matches were first held by children from two villages—Nakakawara (now Nakakawara in Taga Town) and Takamiya (now Takamiya Town in Hikone City)—and the ritual has been passed down to the present day. Even now, local young worshippers engage in a best-of-three sumo contest, which also serves to divine the fortune of the year’s crops.