murmurHonjo Hachiman Shrine Festival and Honjo Daimyo Procession
Yurihonjo City · Honjo Hachiman Shrine and central Honjo, Yurihonjo
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Yurihonjo City · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sep 19–20, 2026 （Ended） Sep 19: eve festival at 18:00; Sep 20: portable shrine leaves at noon and returns at 18:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid September
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Usually held over a weekend in mid-September; dates are announced each year
- Venue
- Honjo Hachiman Shrine and central Honjo, Yurihonjo
- City
- Yurihonjo City, Akita
About
This is the annual festival of Honjo Hachiman Shrine, which the lords of the former Honjo domain are said to have revered. During the festival, a procession recreating the lord's formal journey to Edo winds through central Honjo. Two footmen carrying lacquered boxes lead the way, followed by spear bearers, feathered standards, retainers and finally the lord himself. Behind them come the Hiyakumachi lion dancers – a prefectural intangible folk cultural property who visit homes to drive away evil and pray for good health – along with shrine maidens and festival floats. The first evening is the eve festival; on the second day the portable shrine leaves the shrine at noon and returns in the evening.
Sources
- OfficialYurihonjo City www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp
- OfficialYurihonjo Tourism Association yurihonjo-kanko.jp
- Reference本荘八幡神社祭典 – 由利本荘市観光協会 yurihonjo-kanko.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.