murmurMotsuji Hatsuka-yasai (Twentieth Night 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 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 January
- How the date is set
- Every year on January 20
- Venue
- Motsuji Temple
- City
- Hiraizumi Town, Iwate
About
At Motsuji Temple in Hiraizumi, New Year prayers to the deity Matarajin are held in the Jogyodo hall from January 14 to 20, and the closing night is known as the Hatsuka-yasai. After a food-offering ceremony, monks perform an ancient rite known as Jogyo-zanmai-ku. Then, led by blazing torches, men and women in their unlucky years walk in procession to the Jogyodo, laying daikon radishes, Chinese cabbage and other offerings before the altar as they pray for good health and a safe household. The night ends inside the hall with Ennen-no-mai, temple dances offered to the Buddha that continue until late at night, a rare chance to experience Hiraizumi's living temple traditions in the depths of winter.
Sources
- OfficialHiraizumi Tourism Association hiraizumi.or.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.