murmurHanauma Matsuri (Flower Horse Festival)
Nakatsugawa City · Sakashita Shrine and Sakashita Station area
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Gifu Prefecture Tourism Federation (Gifu Travel Guide) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Oct 11, 2026 （Ended） Station events from noon; flower horse procession around 14:10, flower grab around 14:40
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid October
- How the date is set
- The 2nd Sunday of October Held in light rain
- Venue
- Sakashita Shrine and Sakashita Station area
- City
- Nakatsugawa City, Gifu
About
On the second Sunday of October, the Sakashita area of Nakatsugawa holds a festival tied to Kiso Yoshinaka, with more than 800 years of tradition and a designation as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture. The stars are 3 flower horses carrying hanagushi, bamboo skewers decked with colored paper, led through the district by child attendants and musicians. When they reach Sakashita Shrine, people scramble for the skewers in the spirited hanadori, and a rice-cake throw follows. Near Sakashita Station there are combined mikoshi processions and children's hand dances. It goes ahead in light rain. By car it is about 18 minutes from Misaka Smart IC on the Chuo Expressway.
Sources
- OfficialGifu Prefecture Tourism Federation (Gifu Travel Guide) www.kankou-gifu.jp
- OfficialYasaka Tourism Association yasaka-kanko.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.