murmurMikawa Isshiki Giant Lantern Festival
Nishio City · Mikawa Isshiki Suwa Shrine
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Nishio Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Aug 22–23, 2026 （Ended） Lantern lighting rite on August 22 at 19:00; lanterns lowered on August 23 at 17:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late August
- How the date is set
- The 4th Saturday of August Fourth Saturday of August and the following Sunday; the lanterns are lit only on Saturday night
- Venue
- Mikawa Isshiki Suwa Shrine
- City
- Nishio City, Aichi
About
Each August, Mikawa Isshiki Suwa Shrine in Nishio raises twelve gigantic paper lanterns, two for each of six neighborhood groups. They are about 6 to 10 m long, the biggest over 5 m in diameter, and are a prefectural tangible folk cultural property. On Saturday morning the groups hoist them into place; at the evening lighting rite, sacred fire is passed to giant candles inside and the painted scenes from myth and history glow in the dark. They are lit on Saturday night only, so that is the night to go. On Sunday evening a closing kagura dance signals that the lanterns can come down. The festival is said to trace back to the 16th century, when great bonfires were lit to quell a sea monster attacking fields and people.
Sources
- OfficialNishio Tourism Association nishiokanko.com
- OfficialAichi Prefecture (Aichi Now) aichinow.pref.aichi.jp
- OfficialMikawa Isshiki Suwa Shrine www.katch.ne.jp
Last checked: Oct 10, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
Other events this month
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.