murmurObama Hojo Festival (Hoze Matsuri)
Obama City · Old Obama town district and Machi-no-Eki
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Fukui Prefectural Tourism Association (fuku-e.com) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sep 19–20, 2026 （Ended）
- 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
- Venue
- Old Obama town district and Machi-no-Eki
- City
- Obama City, Fukui
About
The Hoze Matsuri is the grand festival of Hachiman Shrine in Obama, and at over 300 years old it is the biggest autumn festival in Wakasa, listed as an intangible folk cultural property of Fukui Prefecture. Over 2 days, a mikoshi and troupes of great drums, kagura, lion dancers and floats move through the old town, stopping to perform with festival music. Fielding all 4 types of performance is rare nationwide, and many visitors travel from outside the prefecture to see it. The troupes come from 24 districts that formed the merchant quarter of the Edo-period castle town, with 12 taking part in alternate years; some trace back more than 300 years to the Gion festivities of that time. The old town is about 10 minutes on foot from JR Obama Station, and free parking is available at Obama Park and elsewhere.
Sources
- OfficialFukui Prefectural Tourism Association (fuku-e.com) www.fuku-e.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.