'MIKOSHI' means portable Shinto shrine, basically a highly ornate palangnin-like
structure that rest on two long horizontal poles. It is carried on the shoulders of
20 to 30 people. The procession is often raucous, with the participants pushing
the mikoshi in zigzag fashion. This tempestous movement is commonly thought
to reflect the powerful presence of the the deity that is enshrined in the mikoshi.
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