🏮 Karatoyama Shinji Zumo

唐戸山神事相撲

Hakui, Ishikawa (Hakui Shrine) · Every year on 25 September

Traditional performing artsFood stalls

11 days to go
Rooms around Hakui, Ishikawa fill up while the festival is on.

The Karutoyama Shinji Sumo, held in Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, on the autumn equinox, is a Shinto ritual commemorating the virtues of Iwatsukuwake no Mikoto, the deity of Hakui Shrine. With a history of about two thousand years, it is designated an intangible folk cultural property of Ishikawa Prefecture. The venue is the Karutoyama Sumo Ground, said to be Japan's oldest permanent outdoor sumo ring. On the day, bonfires are lit on the four sides of the ring, and while sumo jinku (sumo songs) and ritual drums are performed, wrestlers divided into the Noto "Shimoyama" and the Kaga and Etchu "Uwayama" sides grapple according to the old style of "no water, no salt, no waiting." A distinctive feature is that the one man left standing undefeated on each side becomes an "ozeki" (champion). The highlight is the gallant sight of both ozeki riding on the shoulders of wrestlers as they race about 1 km along the approach to Hakui Shrine. Also, on the Paseo-dori shopping street in front of Hakui Station, night stalls line up for several days from the same day, and the liveliness of the festival can be enjoyed.

Getting there

The venue, Karutoyama Sumo Ground, is in Hakui city, about a 10-minute walk from JR Hakui Station. By car, it is about 5 minutes from the Hakui IC on the Noto Satoyama Kaido. There are parking lots in the surrounding area.