murmurOmizuokuri (Sending of the Sacred Water)
Obama City · From Wakasa Jingu-ji Temple to Unose
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
- Mon, Mar 2, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early March
- How the date is set
- Every year on March 2
- Venue
- From Wakasa Jingu-ji Temple to Unose
- City
- Obama City, Fukui
About
Every March 2, Wakasa Jingu-ji Temple in Obama holds a rite that calls spring to Wakasa. Water drawn from the temple's Akai well is purified through a series of rituals and then carried, guarded by a torchlit procession, about two kilometers to the riverbank at Unose. A giant torch leads the way and hundreds more follow, a line of flame threading through the winter dark. At Unose the sacred water is poured into the Onyu River, closing this ceremony of fire and water. Legend says the water takes ten days to reach the Wakasa-i well at Nigatsu-do Hall of Todai-ji in Nara, and the rite comes before the famous Omizutori there on March 12, a reminder of the ancient bond between Nara and Wakasa. By reserving and offering a hand-held or medium torch, you can walk in the procession yourself.
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.
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.