People are devout on Toshijima. It can be called superstitious sometimes. There are a lot of events about Shintoism and Buddhism during the year, and people put talismans on their houses and boats.
The most unique one is “Maruhachi”, a letter Hachi inside a circle. In Toshi and Wagu, every house has this symbol on their wall or door of the entrance and you can find it also on their boats.
They draw this symbol every year for praying big haul and the peace of their family. When do they draw it? It’s the day of the Jinsai festival. Both villages have almost the same festival but hold on other days.
I explain about Toshi one. It is also the biggest Shintoism festival on the island. This is the festival for the Hachiman shrine which dedicated to the deities of the sea. They perform bow pulling as the main ritual.
The target is brought by 7 men running, they also make the target at the hidden place close to Hachiman shrine. The target is made in wood, paper, charcoal and the paste made from seaweed.
When the men pass the right place, a man acts as if he shoots an arrow, and men put the target down on the street to show it is hit. After that other men from the village, jump and scramble to the target to get the piece of it.
They use this piece of the target to draw Maruhachi. It is believed that have the power of the deities of the Hachiman shrine and they watch and guard people.
I wonder if you come here without knowing about this custom, it may freak you out that you feel you are on the cult island!
People have other talismans like a festoon of straw, dried fishes, cards on every window, key charms, etc… There are also a lot of religious customs. A lot of women clean the cemetery every day, others at least keep it clean for their ancestors. The fishermen throw the first bite of their lunch or the first gulp of the bottle of drink away to the sea to make offerings to the deity of the sea. They never get married in August. The year a man gets 42 years old, he has to go travel with his family, etc… Some of these are Shinto, the others are Buddhism, and others are nameless. Anyway, they just do conventionally as their ancestors have done.
I haven’t used to do these things so, for me, they were new and sometimes felt strange when I came here. Now I didn’t become devout yet, but I understand how important they are for people.
On the island, people work on the sea, sometimes get caught in natural disasters, only a few people live there. They always know what they can do and what can’t, I think that’s why people became to believe in deities, buddha, or traditions.