murmurImari Tontenton Festival
Imari City · Central Imari (Imari Shrine and town streets)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Imari City Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Oct 23–25, 2026 Yasumaku on the evening of October 23; main festival on October 24 and October 25, with the river plunge on October 25
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late October
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Three days around the Shinden-sai rite on October 19: the Yasumaku evening plus the main festival on Saturday and Sunday; dates shift slightly each year
- Venue
- Central Imari (Imari Shrine and town streets)
- City
- Imari City, Saga
About
Imari Tontenton is the procession festival of Imari Shrine, held in 2026 over three days: the Yasumaku evening on October 23, then the main festival on October 24 and October 25. At several points around the city, the Ara-mikoshi portable shrine and the Danjiri float crash into each other while drums beat out "ton-ten-ton," the bearers in twisted headbands moving in tight unison. The big moment is the river plunge: still locked together, both sides topple into the Imari River, and the one hauled back onto land first wins. Victory for the Ara-mikoshi is said to promise a good harvest the following year, victory for the Danjiri a good catch. The Imari Autumn Festival also takes place on October 24 and October 25.
Sources
- OfficialImari City Tourism Association imari-kankou.com
- OfficialImari Shrine Goshinko-sai Executive Committee tontenton.jp
- OfficialImari Shrine Goshinko-sai Executive Committee tontenton.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.