murmurShiogama Minato Matsuri (Shiogama Port Festival)
Shiogama City · Shiwahiko and Shiogama Shrines, Shiogama Port and Matsushima Bay
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Shiogama Tourism and Products Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 19–20, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid July
- How the date is set
- The 3rd Monday of July Main festival on Marine Day (third Monday of July), with fireworks the evening before
- Venue
- Shiwahiko and Shiogama Shrines, Shiogama Port and Matsushima Bay
- City
- Shiogama City, Miyagi
About
Shiogama's great sea festival began in 1948, just after the war, as a wish for the revival of this port town's industries and the spirits of its people, and it is counted among Japan's three great boat festivals. The highlight is the procession at sea: the portable shrines of Shiwahiko Shrine and Shiogama Shrine are carried down the steep 202 stone steps of the main approach into town, then placed aboard the ornate gozabune (ceremonial boats) Ryuhomaru and Hohomaru, which sail around scenic Matsushima Bay escorted by a large fleet of attendant boats. This is the only time each year that both shrines' mikoshi travel out together. On land there is a street parade with the Yoshikono Shiogama dance, and a fireworks display lights up the port the night before.
Sources
- OfficialShiogama Tourism and Products Association kankoubussan.shiogama.miyagi.jp
- OfficialShiogama Tourism and Products Association kankoubussan.shiogama.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.