A group of priests have cleared away a year's worth of dust in a traditional year-end ritual at Dazaifu Tenmangu Shinto shrine in western Japan.

The annual cleaning before the New Year was held at the ancient shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture on Wednesday.

Dazaifu Tenmangu enshrines Sugawara Michizane, a renowned scholar and poet who is now revered as the deity of learning, who lived more than a thousand years ago.

The shrine's main hall is designated as an important cultural property, but since last year it has been undergoing major repairs that will take three years to complete. Like last year, this year's cleaning ritual took place at a temporary hall.

Seven priests purified themselves before getting to work. They used 4-meter-long bamboo sticks to carefully clear dust from the ceiling and other hard-to-reach places. The ritual is also said to remove evil and impurity.

A priest said he hopes people who visit the shrine will feel invigorated and refreshed for the new year.

A high school student from Niigata Prefecture in central Japan said it was great to have the rare opportunity to watch the ritual. He said he will study hard so that he can pass his entrance exams next year.

The shrine expects about two million visitors during the first three days of January. The priests said they will be getting busier with the preparations for the New Year, including putting up pine-tree decorations.