🏮 Issa Matsuri

一茶祭り

Adachi, Tokyo (Entenji Temple) · Every year on 23 November

Traditional performing arts

70 days to go
Rooms around Adachi, Tokyo fill up while the festival is on.

The Issa Matsuri, held every year on November 23 at En'ten Temple in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, is a festival commemorating the haiku poet Kobayashi Issa. Issa walked through this area and left behind verses such as "Cicadas cry—the sixth month, En'ten Temple in the village" and "Lean frog, don't lose—Issa is here." It began when local volunteers held a memorial service and a haiku gathering on November 19, the anniversary of his death, and at one time the poet Shiro Ishida served as a special selector. On the day, hayashi festival music is played in the temple grounds, and events such as the "Dedicated Frog Sumo" and a "Haiku Imagination Quiz" are held. The frog sumo in particular, inspired by the lean frog verse, has lean frogs and large frogs compete, entertaining visitors. It is a day to encounter Issa's world in the temple grounds, where the autumn foliage is beautiful.