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🏮 Uesugi Matsuri

上杉まつり

Yonezawa, Yamagata (Uesugi Shrine) · Every year on 29 April

Mikoshi

227 days to go
Rooms around Yonezawa, Yamagata fill up while the festival is on.

The Uesugi Matsuri is held around Uesugi Shrine in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, from late April to early May each year and is the festival that represents spring in Yonezawa. It is positioned as the annual grand festival of Uesugi Shrine, which enshrines Uesugi Kenshin, and related events take place around the shrine and at various locations in the city, including the site of Yonezawa Castle. The shrine was founded in 1561. April 30 during the festival period is the anniversary of Kenshin's death, and at night a Toro Matsuri (lantern festival) is held, with votive lights offered in his memory. The climax is the main festival on May 3, when, after visits to Yonezawa Hachiman Shrine and Uesugi Shrine, a procession of mikoshi (portable shrines) and a warrior contingent in armor called the Uesugi Gyoretsu parades through the streets. In particular, the Kenshin-ko no Hanama, or Flower Horse of Lord Kenshin, is a notable event that conveys the appearance of a Sengoku daimyo to the present day.

Getting there

Access to the venue is about a 15-minute walk from JR Yonezawa Station. Alternatively, a shuttle bus may operate from Yonezawa Station. By car, it is about 10 minutes from the Yonezawa Interchange on the Tohoku-Chuo Expressway. Temporary parking is available (see the official website for details).