🏮 Uwajima Ushioni Matsuri Warei Taisai

うわじま牛鬼まつり・和霊大祭

Uwajima, Ehime (Warei Shrine) · Every year on 22 July

Summer festivalFloats

311 days to go
Rooms around Uwajima, Ehime fill up while the festival is on.

The Waraiko Festival and Uwajima Ushioni Festival is held around Waraiko Shrine in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture, every year from July 22 to 24, and is a representative summer festival of the Nanyo region. The main attraction, the ushioni, has a body of bamboo framework about 5 to 6 meters long, a long neck made from a log, a head with a demon mask, and a tail shaped like a sword, with its entire body covered in red cloth and palm fiber, making for an impressive sight. The origin of the ushioni dates back to the kikkosha, said to have been used by Kato Kiyomasa in the attack and defense of Jinju Castle during the Bunroku Campaign (1592), and it is said to have been introduced to this area by Todo Takatora, the lord of Uwajima Domain. From a box found in Yasuda, Kimura, dated the second year of Koka (1845), among other evidence, the ushioni of Uwajima is thought to have a history of about 200 years. During the festival, the parent ushioni parade, children's ushioni parade, Uwajima Odori competition, and sea fireworks festival are held at the same time. In particular, the Waraiko Grand Festival Hashirikomi held on the night of the final day is a fantastical scene in which ushioni walk while swinging their long necks on the river surface lit by torches, and the brave hashirikomi wishing for exorcism is the greatest highlight.