murmurMiwasaki Hachiman Shrine Grand Festival (Miwasaki Whale Dance)
Shingu City · Miwasaki Hachiman Shrine to Miwasaki Fishing Port
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Wakayama Prefecture Tourism Federation · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Sep 13, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid September
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Usually mid-September
- Venue
- Miwasaki Hachiman Shrine to Miwasaki Fishing Port
- City
- Shingu City, Wakayama
About
In mid-September each year, Miwasaki Hachiman Shrine in Shingu holds its grand festival, praying for safe fishing, good harvests, thriving business and the prosperity of the community. Don't miss the Miwasaki Whale Dance at Miwasaki fishing port, which acts out a whale hunt and keeps the memory of traditional whaling alive. It is said to have begun with whaling itself, as a dance on the beach celebrating a big catch. There are two pieces. In the Denchu Odori, dancers tuck harpoon-like sticks into their belts and use a fan in each hand to mime throwing nets around a whale; in the Aya Odori, they stay seated and raise the sticks, conveying the harpoon strike with the upper body alone. The dance is a Wakayama Prefecture Intangible Folk Cultural Property and part of the Japan Heritage story "Living with Whales."
Sources
- 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.