murmurIkazaki Giant Kite Battle
Uchiko Town · Toyoaki Riverbank, Ikazaki, Uchiko
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Uchiko Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early May
- How the date is set
- Every year on May 5 Postponed in case of rain
- Venue
- Toyoaki Riverbank, Ikazaki, Uchiko
- City
- Uchiko Town, Ehime
About
On May 5, the riverbank of the Oda River in the Ikazaki district of Uchiko becomes a battlefield for big kites trying to cut each other down. The two sides, Ikazaki and Tenjin, line up on opposite banks and send some 500 large kites aloft. Blades called gagari are attached to the lines, and fliers try to hook and slice through their rivals' strings. Kites with children's names painted large are flown as well, to wish good health to children celebrating their first Boys' Day; the custom is said to have started with writing a newborn's name on a kite. With about 400 years of history, it is the town's biggest event and an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Ehime Prefecture. Local junior high students also try to get a 100-tatami-mat kite into the air. The nearby Ikazaki Kite Museum shows kites from Japan and abroad. The event is postponed if it rains.
Sources
- OfficialUchiko Tourism Association www.we-love-uchiko.jp
- OfficialUchiko Tourism Association www.we-love-uchiko.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.