murmurTakezaki Kannonji Shushoe Oni Matsuri (Demon Festival)
Tara Town · Takezaki Kannonji Temple
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Saga Prefecture Tourism Federation (Asobo Saga) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early January
- How the date is set
- Every year, January 2 – January 3
- Venue
- Takezaki Kannonji Temple
- City
- Tara Town, Saga
About
From January 2 to January 3 every year, Takezaki Kannonji Temple in Tara holds this New Year rite, said to have continued since the Nara period and designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. According to legend, a husband-and-wife pair of demons would overturn Takezaki Island if they called to each other and met again, and the festival has been held to stop that from happening. Besides Buddhist services and drum-beat sutra chanting, there are distinctive rituals such as the Doji-mai, a dance by two children in fish-shaped hats and white masks, and the Daisho-uchikiri, where bundled oak staves are slammed against the temple grounds. Watching is free.
Sources
- 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.