murmurNamahage Sedo Festival
Oga City · Shinzan Shrine (Kitaura, Oga)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Namahage Sedo Festival Executive Committee (Oga Navi) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Feb 13–15, 2026 （Ended） Confirmed from the official annual schedule and Akita Sakigake Shimpo’s notice for that year
- 2027
- Feb 12–14, 2027 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
- Usual timing
- Usually mid February
- How the date is set
- The 2nd Saturday of February Three days: the Friday, Saturday and Sunday that include the second Saturday of February
- Venue
- Shinzan Shrine (Kitaura, Oga)
- City
- Oga City, Akita
About
This winter festival at Shinzan Shrine in Oga's Kitaura district blends two traditions: the shrine's Saitosai fire rite, held there for more than 900 years, and the Namahage folk custom, in which young men dressed as Namahage visit homes on New Year's Eve. By the light of a great bonfire in the shrine grounds, the Namahage put on a wild, thunderous dance. The festival began in 1964 as a snow festival to liven up winter at the Oga hot springs, later moved to Shinzan Shrine, and is said never to have been cancelled. The Namahage scold idleness and bring good health and the bounty of fields, mountains and sea; the Oga Namahage tradition is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Admission requires advance registration.
Sources
- OfficialNamahage Sedo Festival Executive Committee (Oga Navi) oganavi.com
- OfficialNamahage Sedo Festival Executive Committee (Oga Navi) oganavi.com
- Date checkAkita Sakigake Shimpo www.sakigake.jp
- Referenceナマハゲが「待ってるぞ」 １３日から柴灯まつり、秋田県庁でＰＲ｜秋田魁新報電子版 www.sakigake.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.