murmurChiriku Hachimangu Okayu Festival (Rice Porridge Divination)
Miyaki Town · Chiriku Hachimangu Shrine
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Miyaki Town Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Mar 15, 2026 （Ended） Results announced around 8:30 and 9:40 on March 15
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid March
- How the date is set
- Every year on March 15
- Venue
- Chiriku Hachimangu Shrine
- City
- Miyaki Town, Saga
About
Chiriku Hachimangu, the leading shrine of old Hizen Province, holds this spring festival in which mold on rice porridge is used to forecast the year. Said to have been started in 724, it ranks among Japan's major porridge rites. On February 26, porridge is cooked, set in bronze vessels and split by crossed chopsticks into four parts standing for the old provinces of Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen and Higo, then placed in the shrine. On March 14 the mold that has formed is examined to predict weather, crops and fortunes, earthquakes and typhoons included. Those two rites are closed to the public, but early on March 15 the porridge goes on view in the Okayu-do hall, and the readings are announced around 8:30 and 9:40. Admission is free.
Sources
- OfficialMiyaki Town Tourism Association www.miyakikankou.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.