*Kappa matsuri* (festival) boats landing on shore of Tokyo Bay, Japan 1973

Ebara Jinja (shrine) in Shinagawa, Tokyo, is the proud possessor of a mask said to be 1000 years old, found floating in Tokyo Bay off Shinagawa long ago by a fisherman who thought it was the face of a god. He took it to the local shrine where it has been ever since. Once a year the mask is taken out into Tokyo Bay in a boat as a symbolic gesture to the god it is supposed to represent. This is part of the Kappa matsuri (water goblin festival) held annually in May. This image shows the procession boats arriving at a shallow part of the coast of Tokyo Bay, carrying ashore the mikoshi (portable shrine) housing the mask. Note the dredging going on in the background.