murmurKesonuma Inari Shrine Annual Festival
Namegata City · Kesonuma Inari Shrine, Uchijuku, Namegata
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Ibaraki Prefecture (Ibaraki Tourism) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Aug 23, 2026 （Ended） Ceremony 7:30, sumo opening 9:30
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late August
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year The date is announced each year
- Venue
- Kesonuma Inari Shrine, Uchijuku, Namegata
- City
- Namegata City, Ibaraki
About
The annual festival of Kesonuma Inari Shrine in Uchijuku, Namegata, keeps the shrine lively from early morning into the afternoon. Said to have been founded in 1478, the shrine also goes by the name Sekitori Inari. The main event is sumo offered in prayer for a good harvest: elementary-school and adult qualifiers in the morning, then finals by school grade and for adults in the afternoon, closing with ceremonial bouts, the champions being tossed into the air, and an awards ceremony. Girls also perform a traditional shrine-maiden dance several times during the day. Fireworks go up in the morning to announce the festival and again at its opening, midpoint and close, and sumo jinku songs are sung as well.
Sources
- OfficialIbaraki Prefecture (Ibaraki Tourism) www.ibarakiguide.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.