murmurMisasa Onsen Hanayu Matsuri (Jinsho Giant Tug-of-War)
Misasa Town · Misasa Shrine and the Misasa Onsen hot spring town (Onsen Hondori street)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Misasa Onsen Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- May 3–4, 2026 （Ended） Rope-making on May 3 (8:00-18:00); the giant tug-of-war starts at 20:30 on May 4
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early May
- How the date is set
- Every year, May 3 – May 4
- Venue
- Misasa Shrine and the Misasa Onsen hot spring town (Onsen Hondori street)
- City
- Misasa Town, Tottori
About
Misasa Onsen's Hanayu Matsuri takes place every May and ends with the Jinsho, a huge tug-of-war recognized as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The day before, wisteria vines cut in the mountains are twisted into two ropes, one "female" and one "male," each around 80 meters long and as heavy as two tonnes; ropes made of such vines are a rarity in Japan. On the festival day there is a ceremony at Misasa Shrine and a memorial service at the Yakushi hall, while costumed children and kids' portable shrines parade through the hot spring town. At night the ropes are drawn out on both sides of the gate that splits the town into east and west. Young men raise the looped rope ends, join them and fix them with a wooden pin; when the great lantern on the gate goes dark, the pull begins. An eastern victory is said to promise a good harvest, a western one good business.
Sources
- OfficialMisasa Onsen Tourism Association misasaonsen.jp
- OfficialTottori Prefecture Tourism Federation www.tottori-guide.jp
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.