🏮 Hachinohe Sansha Taisai

八戸三社大祭

Hachinohe, Aomori (長者まつりんぐ広場) · Every year, 31 July to 4 August

UNESCO Intangible Cultural HeritageImportant Intangible Folk Cultural PropertySummer festivalMikoshiTraditional performing artsFloats

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The Hachinohe Sansha Taisai is held every year from July 31 to August 4 in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. It is a Shinto festival jointly conducted by three shrines: Horyusan Okami Shrine, Chojasan Shinra Shrine, and Shinmeigu. The procession of the three shrines' mikoshi (portable shrines) and over twenty yamaboko (festival floats) from various towns parade through the central city area, and more than one million tourists visit during the period. The festival's origins date back to 1721, when Horyo Shrine (now Okami Shrine), the chief guardian shrine of the Hachinohe Domain, had a mikoshi carried to Chojasan to pray for good weather and give thanks for a good harvest. In the Meiji era, to revive the festival that had declined, at the suggestion of Tamon Osawa, Chojasan Shinra Shrine joined in 1881 and Shinmeigu joined in 1886, establishing the current form of the joint festival of the three shrines. The highlight is the gorgeous floats with elaborate mechanisms that make dolls rise up or spread out widely to the left and right, and some also feature smoke effects. In addition to the mikoshi procession, traditional performing arts from all over Hachinohe, such as kagura, teodori, and toramai, participate. In 2004, the float event was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and in 2016 it was inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Getting there

From JR Hachinohe Station to the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai venue, take the Hachinohe City Bus or the Hachinohe Sightseeing Loop Bus "Ruruppu" for about 20 minutes. During the festival, extra buses and shuttle buses may also operate.