This agricultural region in the mountain foothills is known for the particularly strong religious beliefs of its people, and sure enough this mochi-pounding festival culminates in the offering of fresh mochi and a prayer for the safety of people working in the mountains, to the mountain god. As a mochi festival, however, it is thought to be a little bit out of the ordinary. When participants cry "Yassa, yassa!" and vigorously pound the mochi with tens of wooden pestles, the mortar looks ready to topple over at any moment, and the mochi inside it turns black with mud.