Fan shape shaved on mountain slope in Japan to honor agricultural ritual

Aso, Kumamoto : An image of a fan bearing the Japanese flag has been created on the slope of a mountain in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture. About 30 peopl...

Aso, Kumamoto : An image of a fan bearing the Japanese flag has been created on the slope of a mountain in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture.

About 30 people mowed the grass on the slope of the northern outer rim of Mount Aso’s caldera as part of a traditional event that, according to local residents, began more than 100 years ago.

The tradition is said to have been passed down as an agricultural ritual to pray for an abundant harvest, as the fan is believed to ward off pests with its wind.

Members of a local group preserve the tradition by mowing the grass into the shape of a fan on the slope every August, which attracts the attention of people passing near the foot of the mountain. When snow falls on the mowed areas in winter, a different landscape is created there.

On August 3, about 30 group members, volunteers and others participated in the work.  The participants mowed the grass with machines following instructions given from the foot of the mountain. They spent about 2½ hours mowing the grass - about 40 to 50 centimeters long - to create a fan-shaped area, measuring about 50 meters by 70 meters, bearing a Japanese flag image.