murmurMikoshi Makuri at Minase Shrine Festival
Kiso Town · Minase Shrine and the Kiso-Fukushima district
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kiso Ontake Tourism Bureau · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 22–23, 2026 （Ended） Fireworks on the night of July 22; the shrine-rolling runs from 20:00 to 23:00 on July 23
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late July
- How the date is set
- Every year, July 22 – July 23
- Venue
- Minase Shrine and the Kiso-Fukushima district
- City
- Kiso Town, Nagano
About
Minase Shrine in Kiso-Fukushima holds its grand festival on July 22 and 23. Its famous mikoshimakuri on the second day treats a portable shrine in a way few festivals in Japan would dare: a new plain-wood shrine of about 100 kan, or 400 kg, is deliberately dropped, rolled end over end and sideways, and finally broken apart, which is why it is nicknamed the strangest festival in the land. Behind it is the tale of the brothers Sosuke and Kosuke from Kiso, who carried the deity away from Minase Shrine in Hida and rolled the shrine down a pass to escape those chasing them. Bearers yell "Sosuke! Kosuke!" as it tumbles, and splinters are taken home as charms against misfortune. A fireworks display lights up the night of July 22.
Sources
- OfficialKiso Ontake Tourism Bureau www.kankou-kiso.com
- ReferenceGo! NAGANO SNS大調査！長野県好きフォロワーおすすめの“長野の夏祭り” www.go-nagano.net
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.