🏮 Kamakura Matsuri

鎌倉まつり

Kamakura, Kanagawa (Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine) · Every year in early April

MikoshiBon odoriTraditional performing arts

206 days to go
Rooms around Kamakura, Kanagawa fill up while the festival is on.

The Kamakura Festival is a major spring event in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, held since 1959. It takes place every year from the second Sunday to the third Sunday of April, centered on Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and is familiar as a regular event that marks the start of Kamakura's spring tourist season. The "Shizuka no Mai" dance, which is said to have been performed by the shirabyoshi dancer Shizuka Gozen at the command of Minamoto no Yoritomo during the Kamakura period in remembrance of her beloved Minamoto no Yoshitsune, is reenacted in ancient style at the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine's Maiden. During the festival period, the "Sukeisha Taisai Yabusame" is also held at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and events steeped in history and tradition are presented. The highlight is the "Gyoretsu Junko" procession, which parades about 1,000 meters from Geba to the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. In addition to hayashi music and mikoshi (portable shrines), local groups participate, including armor processions and Yosakoi dance teams. Also, at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Kenchoji Temple, and the grounds of Kotokuin Temple (the Great Buddha of Kamakura), "Nodate Seki" outdoor tea ceremony seats are held, allowing visitors to enjoy Kamakura's spring through the tea ceremony.