Awashima Shrine

is a Shinto shrine in Kada District of Wakayama City.

On February 8th the shrine hosts the . . Les auteurs citent l'ouvrage de ., but the shrine is best known for its March 3rd festival, Hina nagashi, during Hina matsuri Brian Bocking, A Popular Dictionary of Shinto, 1997, .

It is one of many fertility cults linked to Empress Jingū.

 Deities 

 Okuninushi
 Sukunahikona no mikoto, a god of medicine, particularly gynecology and childbirth 
 Empress Jingū
  , another god specialized in women's illnesses Arne Kalland, Facing the Spirits: Illness and Healing in a Japanese Community, 1991, . .

 Hari-kuyō matsuri 
During the , on February 8th, people bring used, rusty or broken needles to the shrine. They are buried under a large rock, after being covered with salt . People do this to thank the needles for being useful.

 Doll funeral 
The shrine is famous for the doll funeral ceremony. Anyone can leave their old dolls and leave money to pay for the ceremony Michitaka Suzuki, Hibutsu (Hidden Buddha). Living Images in Japan and the Orthodox Icons, 岡山大学文学部プロジェクト研究報告書 17, 2011, .

People do this to respect the spirits in the dolls. This helps avoid disasters and bad luck Darren Jon Ashmore, The Authenticity of the Other. The Kuiraishi-no-ki and Japanese Ritual Puppet Theatre, ejcjs, volume 13, numéro 3 (Article 14 en 2013).

In 2011, the shrine did a thousand doll funerals. As a result, several thousand dolls can be seen lined up in the shrine .On March 3rd, people put the dolls on boats and send them out to sea. 

 References 

Category:Gō-sha
Category:Shinto shrines in Wakayama Prefecture
Category:Shikinai Shōsha
Category:Shikinaisha in Kii Province