murmurKotohiragu Grand Annual Festival
Kotohira Town · Kotohiragu Main Shrine and the Otabisho (Minami Shin-en)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kotohiragu Shrine · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Oct 9–11, 2026 （Ended） Oct 10, 21:00–23:00: mikoshi procession down from the Main Shrine
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early October
- How the date is set
- Every year, October 9 – October 11
- Venue
- Kotohiragu Main Shrine and the Otabisho (Minami Shin-en)
- City
- Kotohira Town, Kagawa
About
Recorded in the traditional almanac as the "Kotohira Festival," this rite exists only at Kotohiragu and ranks as the shrine's most important celebration. The eve rite, the grand rite and the procession of the mikoshi are spread over three days. The climax comes on the middle night with the "Osagari," the one time each year that the great deity of Konpira comes down from Mt. Kotohira (Mt. Zozu) into the town below. Escorted by some 600 people, the mikoshi leaves the Main Shrine and covers about 2 km to the Otabisho (Minami Shin-en) in about 120 minutes. Leading the way are the "Otoninsan" – two boys on horseback and two girls in palanquins – since pure-hearted children are believed able to guide the gods. Worshippers line the route as road drums beat. On the final day, horses and performing arts are offered at the Otabisho, and the mikoshi returns to the Main Shrine that night.
Sources
- OfficialKotohiragu Shrine www.konpira.or.jp
Last checked: Oct 11, 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.