murmurShibushi Oshaka Matsuri (Buddha's Birthday Festival)
Shibushi City · Homan-ji Park and central Shibushi
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kagoshima Prefectural Visitors Bureau (Kagoshima no Tabi) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Apr 28–29, 2026 （Ended） Eve festival from 18:00; main festival from 9:30
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late April
- How the date is set
- Announced each year Usually late April, with an eve festival followed by the main day
- Venue
- Homan-ji Park and central Shibushi
- City
- Shibushi City, Kagoshima
About
Shibushi has celebrated the Buddha's birthday with this festival since the Edo period, and it ranks among Kagoshima's three great festivals. The main attraction is the parade through town, where newlywed brides ride on horseback in the shan-shan uma procession and brightly dressed dance groups fill the streets. At the Shaka-mido hall, people pour sweet tea over a statue of the Buddha as many times as their traditional age, praying to stay healthy. An eve festival is held the night before, and both residents and travelers turn out in large numbers. Homan-ji Park, the main venue, is about 20 minutes on foot from JR Shibushi Station.
Sources
- OfficialKagoshima Prefectural Visitors Bureau (Kagoshima no Tabi) www.kagoshima-kankou.com
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.