murmurDaiho Zunauchi (Sand-Throwing Festival)
Goto City · Daiho area of Tamanoura (Kotoshironushi Shrine and around Daihoji Temple)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Nagasaki Prefecture Tourism Association (Nagasaki Tabinet) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Nov 7–8, 2026 November 7: night kagura from about 18:00; November 8: sand-throwing from about 9:00, finishing by midday
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early November
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held on the 28th and 29th days of the ninth lunar month
- Venue
- Daiho area of Tamanoura (Kotoshironushi Shrine and around Daihoji Temple)
- City
- Goto City, Nagasaki
About
Known locally as Zunauchi, this is the autumn festival of Kotoshironushi Shrine in Daiho, in the Tamanoura area of Goto City. It is recognized as an intangible folk cultural property by both the national government and Nagasaki Prefecture. The stars are the sand demons who bring up the rear of the shrine procession. Wearing shallow straw lids called sandora on their heads, they hurl beach sand at onlookers and houses without mercy to drive off evil spirits and sickness. The procession loops around the district, acting out farm work at each crossroads, and spectators and children scatter as the sand demons chase them, so the route is full of noise and laughter. The date follows the lunar calendar: in 2026, night kagura is on November 7 and the sand-throwing starts on the morning of November 8.
Sources
- OfficialNagasaki Prefecture Tourism Association (Nagasaki Tabinet) www.nagasaki-tabinet.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.