# Chrysanthemum Festival Hand Towel This hand towel is from the "Shobu-yu Matsuri" (Iris Bath Festival) in Yamashiro Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture. It features the brave mikoshi (portable shrine) carried (pulled) during the summer festival, where bundles of iris leaves are packed into straw bales. The festival's main purpose is to pray for good health and ward off illness. Similar mikoshi also appear in the "Shobu Natsu Matsuri" (Iris Summer Festival) in Kuki City, Saitama Prefecture, and these are traditional festivals that pray for the eradication of epidemics and the safety of the household. Names are written on the white painted areas. Thank you for viewing.