🏮 Nanko Sai

楠公祭

Kobe, Hyogo (湊川神社) · Every year on 24 May

Mikoshi

252 days to go
Rooms around Kobe, Hyogo fill up while the festival is on.

The Kusunoki Festival at Minatogawa Shrine in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, is a private festival honoring the enshrined deity Kusunoki Masashige. The anniversary of his death at the Battle of Minatogawa on May 25, 1336 (Engen 1) serves as the festival date; in contrast to the official festival (regular festival) on July 12, May 25 has been passed down as a private festival lively conducted by the shrine's parishioners. In 1874, when a mikoshi (portable shrine) procession took place, mounted warriors led by the great Kusunoki served as attendants, marking the beginning of the shinko (divine procession) 'Kusunoki Warrior Parade.' After the war, it was temporarily suspended due to simplification and public works, but since the Heisei era, the procession has been revived every few years on notable shrine occasions. It will also be held on May 25, 2025. The parade consists of three divisions: the vanguard warrior column, the main shrine procession, and the Kannabi Shrine procession, with a total of 69 roles including 26 mounted warriors and mounted female attendants, and about 700 participants marching over a total length of about 1 km. The costumes, such as o-yoroi armor, strictly researched based on the customs of the Northern and Southern Courts period, unfold a valiant historical picture scroll.