There are two Hachiman-gu shrines in Ikura, built facing each other across a road, one to the north and one to the south. During the Spring and Autumn Grand Festivals an event called Neri-yome Gyoretsu takes place. The name means a procession of beautifully dressed maidens and is enacted by young girls of elementary school age who parade through the area and visit the shrines. The historical origin of the parade of maidens can be traced back to an ancient story of a monster who demanded the annual sacrifice of a young girl. The monster was vanquished and to show their gratitude local people started to visit the shrines and hold the procession. The ‘Umaoi’ (horse chase) also takes place at the Autumn Grand Festival. A horse carrying a Setto (one of the people in charge of the festival) is chased up the stone steps of the shrine. This is one of the highlights of the festival.