murmurDaito Ohara Mizukake Matsuri (Water-Throwing Festival)
Ichinoseki City · Ohara shopping street and surroundings, Daito, Ichinoseki
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Ichinoseki 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 mid February
- How the date is set
- Every year on February 11
- Venue
- Ohara shopping street and surroundings, Daito, Ichinoseki
- City
- Ichinoseki City, Iwate
About
One of winter's most startling festivals takes place along the shopping street of Ohara in Ichinoseki's Daito district. It is said to have begun as a day of fire-prevention prayer and awareness, marking the anniversary of the Great Furisode Fire of 1657, which razed Edo and even destroyed the castle keep. Later it also became a way to cast off bad luck, and today many people join to pray for good health or for a cherished wish to come true. In the bitter cold, nearly naked men race down the street while spectators lining the way drench them with icy water, which is why it is called one of Japan's strangest festivals. It was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Iwate Prefecture in 2017. Visitors can apply in advance to run as participants, and people now come from all over Japan to take part.
Sources
- OfficialIchinoseki Tourism Association www.ichitabi.jp
- OfficialIchinoseki City www.city.ichinoseki.iwate.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.