About Mole Uchi
An event held by children on the night of Kodoshi, the 14th of the New Year. It is explained as an event to drive the moles out of the fields, but originally it was an event to appease the spirits of the earth by tapping the land and to wish for a more abundant harvest. It is common in Kyushu to call it a mole-uchi, while in many other regions it is called tori-oi (bird-driving). In Shiiba, the stick used to beat the land is called hote, and the material used differs from district to district: in Fudono it is fujikazura, in Otena it is fujikazura wrapped in straw, and in Matsuo it is made of straw.