murmurTobata Gion Oyamakasa
Kitakyushu City · In front of Tobata Ward Office and around Aso No. 1 Park (showcase), and across Tobata Ward
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kitakyushu City (Tobata Ward Office) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 24–26, 2026 （Ended） Showcase on July 25, 18:30-21:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late July
- How the date is set
- The 4th Saturday of July Held over the three days around the fourth Saturday of July, with the showcase on the middle evening
- Venue
- In front of Tobata Ward Office and around Aso No. 1 Park (showcase), and across Tobata Ward
- City
- Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka
About
On summer nights in Kitakyushu's Tobata Ward, yamakasa floats clad in 309 lanterns move through the streets like towers of light. The festival belongs to three shrines, Tobata Hachimangu, Sugawara Shrine and Nakabaru Hachimangu, and dates to the late Edo period: after prayers to Suga no Okami finally ended an epidemic in Tobata village in 1802, the villagers built and offered a float in thanks the following year. By day each float parades under twelve tall banners; after sunset it is redressed as a lantern float, with lanterns stacked in 12 tiers. On the middle evening, at a showcase in front of the Tobata Ward Office, these pyramids of light advance to chants of "Yoitosa!" It is a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016, and ranks with the Hakata Gion Yamakasa and Kokura Gion Daiko among Fukuoka Prefecture's three great summer festivals.
Sources
- OfficialKitakyushu City (Tobata Ward Office) www.city.kitakyushu.lg.jp
- OfficialTobata Gion Oyamakasa Promotion Association tobatagion.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.