murmurAoi Aso Shrine Okunchi Festival
Hitoyoshi City · Aoi Aso Shrine and central Hitoyoshi
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Aoi Aso Shrine · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Oct 3–11, 2026 （Ended） Confirmed from the official annual schedule and Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun’s notice for that year
- 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 3 – October 11 The main procession is on October 9
- Venue
- Aoi Aso Shrine and central Hitoyoshi
- City
- Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto
About
Aoi Aso Shrine in Hitoyoshi, whose buildings are a National Treasure, spends much of October on its Okunchi festival. It starts on October 3 with a fire-prevention rite, a lantern parade and the bringing out of festival happi coats, praying that no fire breaks out in a season known for strong kunchi winds. October 8 begins before dawn with a purification using white chrysanthemums, followed by the solemn offering ceremony at 10:30 and, in the afternoon, the blessing of the children's and adults' mikoshi. From early evening, a dozen or so Kuma Kagura dances fill about three hours in the kagura hall, closing with a lucky rice-cake toss. On October 9 a procession with lion dancers and sacred horses leaves at 10:30 and loops through town to the Furusato History Plaza, where local folk arts are performed. The festival wraps up on October 11 with a thanksgiving rite.
Sources
- OfficialAoi Aso Shrine aoisan.jp
- Date checkKumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun kumanichi.com
- Reference「尽」の火文字で復興願う 国宝・青井阿蘇神社の「おくんち祭」開幕（熊本日日新聞） kumanichi.com
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.