murmurYoshida Ryusei Festival (Muku Shrine)
Chichibu City · Around Muku Shrine, Shimoyoshida, Chichibu
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Chichibu Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Oct 11, 2026 （Ended） From 8:40 until all 30 rockets are launched (around 16:45)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid October
- How the date is set
- The 2nd Sunday of October Second Sunday of October every year
- Venue
- Around Muku Shrine, Shimoyoshida, Chichibu
- City
- Chichibu City, Saitama
About
On the second Sunday of October each year, the annual festival of Muku Shrine in Shimoyoshida, Chichibu, includes the launch of ryusei as a sacred offering. A ryusei is a homemade rocket that farmers have built by hand for generations; once lit, it thunders up to about 300 meters. Its trail is said to look like a dragon climbing to heaven, which is where the name comes from. As for how it began, one theory points to the founding legend of Muku Shrine and another to signal fires of the Warring States period. The launches are handled by the Yoshida Ryusei Preservation Society, and the tradition was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2018 as the Ryusei of Chichibu Yoshida.
Sources
- OfficialChichibu Tourism Association www.chichibuji.gr.jp
- OfficialYoshida Ryusei Preservation Society ryusei.biz
Last checked: Oct 11, 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.