🏮 Hirado Kunchi Kagura

平戸くんち・平戸神楽

Hirado, Nagasaki (亀岡神社) · Every year on 24 October

Important Intangible Folk Cultural PropertyTraditional performing arts

40 days to go
Rooms around Hirado, Nagasaki fill up while the festival is on.

Hirado Kunchi is the autumn grand festival of Kameoka Shrine, located within the grounds of Hirado Castle in Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture. It is held every year over four days, from October 24 to 27. Kameoka Shrine enshrines the ancestral spirits of the Matsura family, the successive lords of the Hirado domain, and the festival is well loved as a seasonal feature of autumn in Hirado. On the 25th, a "horno odori" (dedicatory dance) is held in the shrine grounds, in which each town presents traditional performing arts, such as the "ja odori" of Tsukiji-machi and the "shishimai" (lion dance) of Miya-no-machi. Afterwards, the town bustles with the "gojinko" procession, in which a mikoshi (portable shrine), warriors in armor, and shrine priests on horseback parade through the city streets. In particular, on the 26th, at the "Dai Daikagura," the Hirado Kagura, designated a national important intangible folk cultural property, is offered, and on this day alone during the year, 24 dances are performed over more than seven hours. Highlights include the dynamic dances in which two Shinto priests carry each other, and kagura performed with real swords. Also, on the Saturday and Sunday closest to the festival, the "Hirado Kunchi Joka Tsunno-de Matsuri" is held in the central city area, where visitors can enjoy a gourmet event with the participation of eateries from around the city.