Jūsan Mairi Ceremony and Dendengū Shrine

Jusan Mairi is a coming-of-age ceremony in which thirteen-year-olds visit Horinji Temple to pray to Kokuzo Bodhisattva for wisdom, timed to when a child has completed one full cycle of the twelve-year Chinese zodiac. A local tradition holds that looking back at the temple while crossing Togetsukyō Bridge on the way home forfeits the wisdom just granted. The Dendengu Shrine nearby began as Myojo Shrine in the 800s, enshrining the morning star as a manifestation of Kokuzo. After its destruction in 1864 and later restoration in 1956, it was rededicated at the request of workers in the new telecommunications industry, and technology companies from around the world now send pilgrims here.