murmurKaratsu Kunchi
Karatsu City · Around Karatsu Shrine
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Karatsu City · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Nov 2–4, 2026 Nov 2: procession starts at 19:00; Nov 3: procession starts at 9:30; Nov 4: procession starts at 10:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early November
- How the date is set
- Every year, November 2 – November 4
- Venue
- Around Karatsu Shrine
- City
- Karatsu City, Saga
About
Karatsu Kunchi is the grand autumn festival of Karatsu Shrine, when 14 lacquered floats in the shapes of a lion, a samurai helmet, a sea bream, a flying dragon and more parade through the old castle town, always lined up from oldest to newest. On the night of November 2, the floats join in one after another and assemble in front of the shrine. Early on November 3, young men of the Kanda district dedicate the Kabukabu lion dance; the floats then flank the portable shrine on its way to the Nishinohama resting place, and the moments when they are hauled in and back out are the festival's peak. On November 4 the floats tour about 8 km east and west through the old town without the portable shrine, then are put away one at a time. There are no paid seats, and traffic is heavy, so trains and buses are the safer choice.
Sources
- OfficialKaratsu City www.city.karatsu.lg.jp
- OfficialKaratsu Tourism Association www.karatsu-kankou.jp
- OfficialSaga Prefectural Cultural 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.