murmurMifune Matsuri (Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Festival)
Shingu City · Kumano Hayatama Taisha and the Kumano River
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kumano Hayatama Taisha · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Oct 15–16, 2026 Oct 15, 14:00 sacred horse procession; Oct 16, 16:30 boat festival
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid October
- How the date is set
- Every year, October 15 – October 16 The boat festival itself takes place on October 16
- Venue
- Kumano Hayatama Taisha and the Kumano River
- City
- Shingu City, Wakayama
About
Over two days, October 15 and 16, Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu holds its grand festival, designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property as the Shingu Hayatama Festival. The big moment comes on the evening of October 16 on the Kumano River, when the Mifune Matsuri sends nine fast rowing boats racing ahead of a richly decorated sacred boat; it is hailed as the finest boat festival in southern Kii. The boat festival was designated together with Kamikura Shrine's Oto Matsuri in 2016. On October 15, rites before the main sanctuary in the morning are followed by a sacred horse procession in the afternoon and rites at the otabisho toward evening. On October 16, the portable shrine procession sets out in the afternoon, the boat festival follows, and the day ends with further rites at the otabisho.
Sources
- OfficialKumano Hayatama Taisha kumanohayatama.jp
- OfficialWakayama Prefecture Tourism Federation www.wakayama-kanko.or.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.