Houjyou means the mercy act to relief the caught fish and birds to where these used to be and this service is called Houjyoue. The first act was held in August, Tenmutennou 5(677) by the order of Tenmu emperor and in temples and shrines, the first service was the Usa Hachimangu Houjyoue held in Yourou 4(720) and since then, especially the service of Hachiman shrine would have been developed its own way.
The Hachiman shrine is the second faithful shrine, next to the Wakasaichinomiyagu, which was ranked as Shinsyudaimyoujin in Kamakura period. Some programmes, such as Kangen and Yabusame, were donated for the service in middle ages and also the programmes, such as Noh, Kangen and Sumo, were also donated for the service in modern times.
The origin of these programmes for this service which held every 14th and 15th of September (the 3rd weekend of September from H16), (there is no act but it is called Houjyoue) was that local people would made a costumed parade with the portable shrine for the Giongoryoe of the Hiromine shrine since Kanei 15(1638). However, after the Meiji restoration, these programmes became the parts of the service of Hachiman shrine. After the reorganisation of towns in Meiji 7(1874), these contents were also needed to be re-organised and the programmes, totally 24 ku, were settled recently as 5 ku for Oodaiko, 9 ku for Yama, 4ku for Shishimai, 5 ku for Kagura and 1 ku for portable shrine and 12 ku would play their programmes for each year. In the writing of Wakasakou, it said that this service was as luxurious as the one in Tsuruga, Nagahama and Otsu. It is still so luxurious.
Explanation 
Houze Festival committee
