Katsube Shrine & Sumiyoshi Shrine

This festival, which has been running for 800 years, stems from an episode during the Kamakura period when an emperor was cured of a disease after an evil mythical dragon was burned away. It is said that the dragon’s body remained in Katsube as its head flew to Fuke where Sumiyoshi Shrine is located. At both shrines, torches that resemble the dragon’s head or body are burned as young men dance wildly to pray for good health. Sumiyoshi Shrine and Katsube Shrine are about a 15-minute walk from one other.