murmurTamatori-sai (Tamaseseri) at Hakozakigu Shrine
Fukuoka City · Hakozakigu Shrine (from Tamatori Ebisu Shrine to the main shrine grounds)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hakozakigu Shrine · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sat, Jan 3, 2026 （Ended） Approx. 13:00–14:30
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early January
- How the date is set
- Every year on January 3 Begins with the ball-purifying rite at 13:00; held rain or shine
- Venue
- Hakozakigu Shrine (from Tamatori Ebisu Shrine to the main shrine grounds)
- City
- Fukuoka City, Fukuoka
About
On January 3 at Hakozakigu Shrine, men grapple over a wooden ball in the rite affectionately called Tamaseseri, said to have begun in the Muromachi period. Two balls, yin and yang, are purified earlier in the day; the yang ball is then given to loincloth-clad men at Tamatori Ebisu Shrine about 250 m to the east, and the struggle begins as water is thrown over them. The heaving crowd works its way to the main shrine, and it ends when the ball reaches the priests waiting at the tower gate. Touching the ball is believed to keep misfortune away and bring luck, and the result tells the year's fortune: a land-side win means a good harvest, a sea-side win a good catch.
Sources
- OfficialHakozakigu Shrine www.hakozakigu.or.jp
- OfficialFukuoka Prefecture Tourism Association (Crossroad Fukuoka) www.crossroadfukuoka.jp
Last checked: Oct 10, 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.