murmurMount Ishizuchi Opening Festival (Ishizuchi Shrine Summer Grand Festival)
Saijo City · Jojusha and Ishizuchi Shrine
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Ishizuchi Shrine · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 1–10, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early July
- How the date is set
- Every year, July 1 – July 10 July 1 to 10; women may not climb to the summit on July 1 only
- Venue
- Jojusha and Ishizuchi Shrine
- City
- Saijo City, Ehime
About
From July 1 to 10, Ishizuchi Shrine holds its summer grand festival on Mount Ishizuchi, one of Japan's seven sacred mountains, popularly called Oyama-biraki or Oyama-ichi. The key moment is 7:00 on July 1, when believers carry three sacred statues on their backs, in the order of benevolence, wisdom and courage, up the steep chain sections to the summit shrine, everyone gripping the same rope. Before that, the statues travel from the main shrine through the villages at the foot of the mountain to Jojusha. The mountain is officially open while the statues stay at the summit, and pilgrims in white arrive from all over Japan to the sound of bells and conch horns. Anyone can make the climb, but women are not allowed on July 1; they may climb from July 2.
Sources
- OfficialIshizuchi Shrine ishizuchisan.jp
- OfficialEhime Tourism and Local Products Association (Iyokan Net) www.iyokannet.jp
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.