Takabe Shrine

Built in early Edo Period, Takabe Shrine is the only shrine in Japan that is dedicated to the god of cookery. It is also dedicated to Iwakamutsukarinomikoto, a god that appeared in the second oldest Japanese book Nihon shoki. It is particularly famous for the Houchou shiki, the knife ceremony of preparing a fish with only a knife and chopsticks. Re-enactments of this Heian period imperial court ritual takes place every year on May 17, October 17, and November 23.