murmurOnomichi Betcha Festival
Onomichi City · Kibitsuhiko Shrine (Ichinomiya Shrine) and central Onomichi
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Onomichi Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early November
- How the date is set
- Every year, November 1 – November 3
- Venue
- Kibitsuhiko Shrine (Ichinomiya Shrine) and central Onomichi
- City
- Onomichi City, Hiroshima
About
From November 1 to 3, Kibitsuhiko Shrine in Onomichi, also known as Ichinomiya Shrine, holds its grand festival, a famously odd event listed as a folk cultural property of the city. In 1807 an epidemic hit the town, and during three days and two nights of purification rites, young men dressed as lions and demons followed the portable shrine through the streets; that is said to be the origin. The portable shrine goes out on the night of the 1st, and the 2nd has the main ceremony and Betcha taiko drumming. The day to see is the 3rd, when parishioners wearing the Beta, Shoki and Soba masks roam the town center with a lion and the portable shrine, chasing any children they spot. A whack on the head from a sasara is supposed to make you smart, a jab from the iwai-bo staff is said to bless you with children, and either is thought to keep you well all year.
Sources
- OfficialOnomichi Tourism Association www.ononavi.jp
- OfficialOnomichi Betcha Festival official site onomichi.main.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.