murmurShiogama Shrine Hote Matsuri
Shiogama City · Shiwahiko and Shiogama Shrines and the streets of Shiogama
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Shiwahiko Shrine and Shiogama Shrine · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early March
- How the date is set
- Every year on March 10
- Venue
- Shiwahiko and Shiogama Shrines and the streets of Shiogama
- City
- Shiogama City, Miyagi
About
Held every year on March 10 at Shiogama Shrine, this festival began as a prayer against fire. In 1682 a great blaze swept through the port town of Shiogama, ships stopped calling and the town fell into decline, so the townspeople turned to the shrine to pray for protection from fire and a return of prosperity. At first young men simply paraded bonten wands through the streets; after the present portable shrine was built in 1733 it became a procession of the mikoshi, and in 1872 it took the name Hote Matsuri and its present date. The mikoshi is famous as an 'unruly' one that moves as the deity wills, and it is escorted by a procession of some 500 people. It descends the 202 stone steps of the main approach at 11:30, travels through the city and climbs back up the steps at 19:00. Locals say it is the festival that brings spring.
Sources
- OfficialShiwahiko Shrine and Shiogama Shrine shiogamajinja.jp
- OfficialShiwahiko Shrine and Shiogama Shrine shiogamajinja.jp
- Referenceメールマガジン「メルマガ・みやぎ」第1092号（宮城県） www.pref.miyagi.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.