murmurShibayama Haniwa Festival
Shibayama Town · Tonozuka and Himezuka burial mounds, Shibayama Nioson Temple and Shibayama Park lawn
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Chiba Tourism Navi (Chiba Prefectural Tourism and Products Association) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Nov 8, 2026 9:20–16:30
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early November
- How the date is set
- The 2nd Sunday of November
- Venue
- Tonozuka and Himezuka burial mounds, Shibayama Nioson Temple and Shibayama Park lawn
- City
- Shibayama Town, Chiba
About
Shibayama, once home to more than 500 ancient burial mounds and nicknamed the "town of haniwa," holds this festival, one of its largest, on the second Sunday of November every year since 1982. The story goes that people of ancient times, played by local elementary and junior high school students and others in period dress, descend upon the burial mounds to remind people today of a richness of spirit they are starting to forget. It begins with the Descent Ceremony at the Tonozuka and Himezuka mounds, continues with an exchange ceremony in front of the three-story pagoda of Shibayama Nioson, a procession to the park and a welcome ceremony where ancient and modern people mingle, and ends with the Ascension Ceremony. The Shiromasu Konaya Odori, a prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural property, is performed, and an industry fair, commerce festival and culture festival take place on the same day.
Sources
- OfficialChiba Tourism Navi (Chiba Prefectural Tourism and Products Association) maruchiba.jp
- OfficialShibayama Haniwa Festival Executive Committee shibayama-haniwa.com
- OfficialShibayama Kofun and Haniwa Museum www.haniwakan.com
Last checked: Oct 11, 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.