🏮 Oni Matsuri
鬼祭
Toyohashi, Aichi (安久美神戸神明社) · Every year on 10 February
149 days to go
Rooms around Toyohashi, Aichi fill up while the festival is on.
The Toyohashi Oni Festival is held every year on February 10 and 11 at Akumi Kanbe Shinmei Shrine in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, as the shrine's annual festival. It is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the national government and has long continued as a traditional rite announcing the arrival of spring to the eastern Mikawa region. This festival is a Shinto ritual that incorporated the myth of Japan's founding into dengaku (a form of medieval performing art) that was popular from the Heian to Kamakura periods, and it has been passed down to the present without altering its ancient forms. Parishioners from 14 neighborhood associations take charge of kagura (sacred music and dance), dengaku, archery on foot, divination, and the mikoshi (portable shrine) procession, preserving the local tradition. The highlight is the "teasing of the tengu and the red oni." The red oni, a violent deity, fights the warrior god tengu, and the defeated red oni leaves the shrine grounds while scattering tankiri candy and white powder. It is believed that bathing in the powder and eating the candy wards off evil and prevents summer illness, and tankiri candy is still popular as a good-luck charm.
Getting there
The nearest station is Undo-Koen-Mae Station on the Toyohashi Railroad Azumada Main Line, about a 5-minute walk away. By car, there is no parking lot at the shrine, so please use nearby paid parking.
Don't miss Oni Matsuri
Save a festival in the app and it reminds you a week before it starts. Over 1,000 more to browse by map and calendar.
Where to stay
Searches for rooms on Every year on 10 February.
Festival supplies
Browse on AmazonGetting there
Local specialities
Browse on meibutsu.jp →Festivals nearby
Chiryu Matsuri
Chiryu, Aichi · Two days, 2–3 May
Kamezaki Shiohi Matsuri
Kamezaki, Aichi · Every year on 3 and 4 May
Inuyama Matsuri
Inuyama, Aichi · Every year on the Saturday and Sunday of the 1st week of April
Sunari Matsuri
Kanie, Aichi · About 100 days from early July to late October; main events on the 1st Saturday of August (Eve Festival) and the following day (Morning Festival)
Honen Matsuri
Komaki, Aichi · Every year on 15 March
Toba no Hi Matsuri
Nishio, Aichi · Every year on the 2nd Sunday of February
