murmurBenten Matsuri at Itsukushima Shrine (Sumoto)
Sumoto City · Itsukushima Shrine (Awajishima Benzaiten) and central Sumoto
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Itsukushima Shrine (Awajishima Benzaiten) · 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 late November
- How the date is set
- Every year, November 21 – November 23 21st: eve festival; 22nd: main festival; 23rd: nokori-fuku and the deity's procession
- Venue
- Itsukushima Shrine (Awajishima Benzaiten) and central Sumoto
- City
- Sumoto City, Hyogo
About
Every year from November 21 to 23, Itsukushima Shrine, also known as Awaji-shima Benzaiten, in central Sumoto holds its grand annual festival. The 21st is the eve festival and the 22nd the main day, when the shrine's dance hall hosts a stream of performances offered to the deity, from poetry chanting to koto and shakuhachi, while Awaji kagura dances are performed on all three days. The most important rite is the procession on the 23rd, the last day: the sacred object, wrapped in white cloth, is carried through town on a person's back, an unusual custom that has earned it a place among Japan's curious festivals. When it returns to the shrine late in the evening, a spirited tug of words plays out between the shrine, which wants its deity back, and the procession group, reluctant to let the day end.
Sources
- OfficialItsukushima Shrine (Awajishima Benzaiten) awaji-itsukushima.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.