murmurMuko-nage and Sumi-nuri at Matsunoyama Onsen
Tokamachi City · Yakushido Hall, Matsunoyama Onsen
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tokamachi City Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Thu, Jan 15, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Fri, Jan 15, 2027 Muko-nage around 2:00 pm, sumi-nuri around 3:00 pm (planned)
- Usual timing
- Usually mid January
- How the date is set
- Every year on January 15
- Venue
- Yakushido Hall, Matsunoyama Onsen
- City
- Tokamachi City, Niigata
About
At Little New Year, Matsunoyama Onsen holds a pair of snow-country customs. In muko-nage, men who married in the past year are hurled from the grounds of the Yakushido hall, about 5 m up, onto the snowy slope below. These days it celebrates the marriage and wishes the couple a strong bond, though it's said to be a remnant of bride-capture, or a twist on revenge for a village daughter being taken away. Couples from the public can apply to take part. Next comes sumi-nuri: ash from the sainokami bonfire is kneaded with snow and smeared on each other's faces with shouts of "omedeto," for good health and thriving business. Some say the custom survived precisely because this is a hot spring town.
Sources
- OfficialTokamachi City Tourism Association www.tokamachishikankou.jp
- OfficialNiigata Prefecture Tourism Association (Niigata Kanko Navi) niigata-kankou.or.jp
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.