murmurIshinomaki Kawabiraki Festival (River Opening Festival)
Ishinomaki City · Central Ishinomaki and the banks of the Kitakami River
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Ishinomaki City · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 31 – Aug 2, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early August
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Centered on August 1–2, with an eve celebration on July 31
- Venue
- Central Ishinomaki and the banks of the Kitakami River
- City
- Ishinomaki City, Miyagi
About
This festival began in 1916 as an expression of gratitude to Kawamura Magobei Shigeyoshi, who, on the orders of the feudal lord Date Masamune, reshaped the Kitakami River and opened the port of Ishinomaki. It is also a time to give thanks for the river's bounty and to remember ancestors, with solemn ceremonies including a memorial service for those lost in rivers and the sea. Since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, memorial rites and floating lanterns for the victims have also been part of the festival. Alongside these, the town comes alive with a street parade, Tairyo (big-catch) dances and Magobei boat races, while a fireworks display lighting up the night sky is a summer fixture in Ishinomaki.
Sources
- OfficialIshinomaki City www.city.ishinomaki.lg.jp
- OfficialIshinomaki Kawabiraki Festival Committee www.ishinomakikawabiraki.jp
- OfficialIshinomaki Kawabiraki Festival Committee www.ishinomakikawabiraki.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.