Ebisukō

Ebisukō is a festival held every November at Ebisu Shrine in Naka Ward, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, known as one of Hiroshima's largest festivals, praying for prosperous business. Affectionately called "Ebessan," it is held over three days from November 18th to 20th each year, and the shopping districts in the city center bustle greatly with worshippers and shoppers.

Ebisu-no-Ōkami, enshrined at Ebisu Shrine, is known as Ebisu, one of the Seven Lucky Gods, and is widely revered as a deity who grants prosperous business and abundant fortune. During Ebisukō, worshippers seek out the auspicious rake "komazarae," said to "rake in" good fortune. The sight of people holding rakes adorned with colorful decorations, praying for prosperous business in the coming year, is a late-autumn tradition of Hiroshima.

In conjunction with this festival, local shopping districts hold large-scale sales known as the "Ebisukō grand sale," and the entire town comes alive as Shinto rite and commerce unite. Ebisukō is a traditional event conveying the history of Hiroshima, which developed as a merchant town, and the people's prayers for prosperous business. The fortune-gathering rakes and the spirited bustle of the shopping districts make it an important annual observance for the people of Hiroshima, symbolizing the close of the year and hope for the new one.