murmurNagasaki Kunchi
Nagasaki City · Suwa Shrine, Chuo Park, Otabisho and Yasaka Shrine, among others
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Promotion Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Oct 7–9, 2026 （Ended） Confirmed from the official annual schedule and Nagasaki Prefectural Police (Nagasaki Police Station)’s notice for that year
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early October
- How the date is set
- Every year, October 7 – October 9 Schedules may change in rain or stormy weather
- Venue
- Suwa Shrine, Chuo Park, Otabisho and Yasaka Shrine, among others
- City
- Nagasaki City, Nagasaki
About
Nagasaki Kunchi is the great autumn festival of Suwa Shrine, the city's guardian shrine, and for three days each year all of Nagasaki joins in. It is said to have begun in 1634 when two courtesans offered a Noh chant before the deity, and its dedicatory dances, which blend in foreign flavor, are a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The neighborhoods that perform, called odori-cho, take the stage only once every seven years. Besides classical Japanese dance set to nagauta music, there are wheeled ships spun around by large teams, the Kokkodesho drum float hurled into the air by its bearers, and the dragon dance. Spectators shout "motte-koi," their call for an encore, which is part of the fun. Seats at the main venues such as Suwa Shrine and Chuo Park cost money, but during the niwasaki-mawari rounds you can catch performances in the streets.
Sources
- OfficialNagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Promotion Association nagasaki-kunchi.com
- OfficialNagasaki Prefecture Tourism Association (Nagasaki Tabinet) www.nagasaki-tabinet.com
- Date checkNagasaki Prefectural Police (Nagasaki Police Station) www.police.pref.nagasaki.jp
- Reference令和８年 長崎くんちに伴う交通規制のお知らせ（長崎県警察） www.police.pref.nagasaki.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.