Since 2001, a characteristic ritual called Goran-shiki has been conducted at Tsuga-cho Ienaka, Tochigi City. Hard drinking and the food taboo on eggs are features of this ritual. Although Goran-shiki is relatively new, both the citizens of Ienaka city and visitors to it are accepting it as a tradition. We think that Goran-shiki acts as an identity symbol for people in Ienaka city. We analyzed the acceptance process and identified three points regarding this ritual.
(1) Various people are involved in the management of Goran-shiki, for example, the chief priest of a Shinto shrine, event consultants, and the kagura preservation meeting. Moreover, Goran-shiki is conducted only after considering various expectations.
(2) In spite of the various expectations from it, Goran-shiki has been strongly appealing for a food taboo on eggs. This phenomenon is the paradoxical effect of a ritual that strongly appeals to people’s traditional consciousness.
(3) Goran-shiki is based on the Nikko-zeme constitution at the Rinno-ji temple. The management introduced the unique feature of forbidding the eating of eggs in this ritual. This characteristic has made Goran-shiki an accepted ritual.
