murmurMotsuji Iris Festival
Hiraizumi Town · Motsuji Temple
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hiraizumi Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jun 10–30, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid June
- How the date is set
- Every year, June 10 – June 30
- Venue
- Motsuji Temple
- City
- Hiraizumi Town, Iwate
About
Each June, about 30,000 Japanese irises of some 300 varieties bloom in a garden of roughly 3,000 square meters beside the Oizumi-ga-ike pond at Motsuji Temple. Large-flowered varieties such as Ageha, Hatsukagami and Hatsuhikari open in purple, white and yellow, a vivid contrast with the deep green of the temple's Pure Land garden. The iris garden began in 1953, when local residents suggested planting irises in front of what is now the Kaisando hall; the following year Meiji Jingu Shrine in Tokyo donated 100 plants of 100 varieties, and the collection has kept growing ever since. During the festival, the temple stages performances of the Ennen-no-mai, a dance designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan, along with tea gatherings, a sketching contest and traditional Japanese music.
Sources
- OfficialHiraizumi Tourism Association hiraizumi.or.jp
- OfficialIwate Prefecture Tourism Association (Iwate Tabi) iwatetabi.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.