murmurHitoyama Rural Kabuki
Tonosho Town · Rikyu Hachiman Shrine (Hitoyama Rural Kabuki Stage)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Shodoshima Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, May 3, 2026 （Ended） 15:00–18:30 (times may shift slightly depending on stage preparations)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early May
- How the date is set
- Every year on May 3 Held rain or shine
- Venue
- Rikyu Hachiman Shrine (Hitoyama Rural Kabuki Stage)
- City
- Tonosho Town, Kagawa
About
Every May 3, the Hitoyama district of Shodoshima performs rural kabuki on the stage in the grounds of Rikyu Hachiman Shrine. The thatched stage has the full set of kabuki machinery – a hanamichi walkway, a revolving stage, lifts and an under-stage pit – and the audience sits on terraces stepped into the gentle slope in front. The tradition is said to date from 1686, when villagers celebrated the completion of a reservoir with a play in a makeshift hut, and it has continued ever since as an offering to the shrine. With Nakayama's kabuki, it makes up Shodoshima rural kabuki, a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Shows go on rain or shine; general visitors sit in the back two rows on their own mats, and a jacket is wise as evenings can be cool.
Sources
- OfficialShodoshima Tourism Association shodoshima.or.jp
- OfficialShodoshima Tourism Association shodoshima.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.