The Sannō Festival procession c. 1788

This woodblock print by Torii Kiyonaga captures the vibrant procession of the Sannō Festival in Japan. The most striking symbol is the portable shrine, or mikoshi, topped with sacred Shinto symbols of evergreen branches. It is a vessel for the divine, carried reverently through the streets. This act of carrying the divine through the community echoes ancient rituals found across cultures, from the Ark of the Covenant in biblical traditions to the processional practices of the Ancient Greeks, where the statue of Athena was paraded through Athens. The gesture of lifting and moving sacred objects connects us to a deep human impulse: the desire to physically engage with and honor the unseen forces that shape our lives. Consider how, in each context, the emotional and psychological weight of the object is amplified by the collective effort and belief of the community. The act transcends mere physical labor and becomes a potent expression of shared identity and faith. It speaks to the subconscious desire to make the intangible tangible, bridging the gap between the earthly and the divine, and resurfaces as a continuous thread through the tapestry of human culture.