Skip to main content

High Schooler Fumiya Ogishi Wins Nishinomiya Shrine's Luckiest Man Race


The traditional Lucky Man Selection race was held at Hyogo's Nishinomiya Shrine, with Takarazuka high school 2nd-year Fumiya Ogishi winning the title of this year's luckiest man. Chosen by lottery to compete, 108 worshippers at the shrine started the race at 6:00 a.m. on Jan. 10 when the beating of drums signaled the opening of the shrine's Akamon Gate. The ritual race is held at the home of Ebessan, the god of successful business, and covers roughly 230 m. The winner is named the Luckiest Man, with the next two earning Second-Luckiest and Third-Luckiest honors.

Ogishi is a member of his school's track and field time and has a 100 m best in the low 12-second range. He commented, "It doesn't feel real yet, but I hope this will be a good year. I'd like to share my good fortune with all the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake."

Luckiest man: Fumiya Ogishi (high schooler)
2nd-luckiest man: Yuki Komatsu (university student)
3rd-luckiest man: Akihiro Yabuki (university student)

2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in which Nishinomiya Shrine sustained serious damage including the collapse of buildings within its grounds. Despite the damage, ceremonies at the shrine have always continued uninterrupted. This year Junya Kobayashi, a priest from Suzu Hachiman Shrine in Ishikawa which was similarly heavily damaged by last January's Noto Peninsula earthquake, took part in the race as one of the gate protectors holding it closed from the inside until the drums were struck. Kobayashi was enthusiastic about the experience, saying, "I will take some of the good fortune home so that it will help change our misfortune for the better."


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Asian Games Preview - Entries, Timetable and Live Results

Back in Japan for the first time in 32 years and representing 60% of the world's population, with more athletes competing across all sports than at the Olympics, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are already underway. Athletics competition starts tomorrow and runs through Tuesday the 29th. Some of the biggest names on the entry list include: Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (SRI) - men's javelin throw - 2026 World Ultimate Championships gold and 2026 Diamond League champion Haruka Kitaguchi (JPN) - women's javelin throw - 2026 World Ultimate Championships and 2024 Paris Olympics gold Birhanu Balew (BRN) - men's 5000 m/10000 m - 2026 Diamond League 5000 m champion Sanghyeok Woo (KOR) - men's high jump - 2025 Tokyo World Championships silver Hayato Katsuki (JPN) - men's marathon race walk - 2025 Tokyo World Championships bronze Abderrahman Samba (QAT) - men's 400 mH - 2025 Tokyo World Championships bronze Jiale Zhang (CHN) - women's hammer throw - 2025 Tokyo W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Endo, Nishikawa and Yamakawa Announce Corporate Team Changes

The SG Holdings men's corporate team announced on Oct. 1 that long-distance athletes Hyuga Endo and Yuichiro Nishikawa have joined its roster after leaving the Sumitomo Denko team. Endo, 28, won the Junior Olympics 3000 m while at Koriyama Nishi J.H.S. before going on to Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. where he was the the top Japanese placer in the 5000 m at the National High School Championships 2 years in a row. After graduating from Gakuho Ishikawa he joined the Sumitomo Denko team, winning the National Championships 5000 m in 2021. He won gold at the 2023 Asian Championships and represented Japan at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. "I will give everything I have as part of the team and work hard toward helping it win the New Year Ekiden," he said of his new environment. Of his personal goals he said, "I want to focus on the 5000 m and reach new levels to compete internationally." Nishikawa, 28, was a member of Tokai University 's winning teams at the H...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Athletes Provisionally Suspended After Positive Drug Tests at Asian Games

The International Testing Agency announced on Oct. 2 that provisional suspensions have been imposed on two athletes, Kazakhstan's Aiana Bolatbekkyzy in track and field, and Tajikistan's Issamjon Sharifov in tennis, after they tested positive for prohibited substances at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi. Bolatbekkyzy, 19, tested positive for the steroid drostanolone in a sample collected during an in-competition test at the Games. A diuretic drug was found in the sample collected from Sharifov, 23. source article: https://www.sanspo.com/article/20261002-X4FJLT5MMZKFND6WXPOESAKETQ/ translated by Brett Larner
Post a Comment
Read more