murmurHamasaki Gion Festival
Karatsu City · Streets of Hamasaki, Hamatama, Karatsu (Gion shrine at Suwa Shrine)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hamasaki Gion Yamakasa Promotion Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 25–26, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late July
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year The Saturday and Sunday right after Marine Day in July
- Venue
- Streets of Hamasaki, Hamatama, Karatsu (Gion shrine at Suwa Shrine)
- City
- Karatsu City, Saga
About
This is the festival of the Gion shrine in the grounds of Suwa Shrine in Hamasaki, Karatsu, and a Karatsu City Important Intangible Cultural Property. Three districts each pull their own float through town: Hama, the fishermen's quarter, praying for big catches; Nishi, the farmers', for good harvests; and Higashi, the merchants', for business. Standing 15 meters high and weighing 5 tonnes, the floats rank among the biggest in Japan, and since both days come alive after dark they are also known as kentodai, lantern stands for the gods. Watch for the omagiri, when a float is whirled around and around, and listen for the festival music, where shamisen joins flutes, drums and bells. Tradition dates it to 1753, when fishing boss Nakamuraya Kyubei built three floats modeled on the Gion Yamakasa of Hakata's Kushida Shrine to pray against epidemics and for good harvests. JR Hamasaki Station is about a 5-minute walk away.
Sources
- OfficialHamasaki Gion Yamakasa Promotion Association hamasaki-gionsai.sakura.ne.jp
- OfficialSaga Prefecture Tourism Federation (Asobo Saga) www.asobo-saga.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.