murmurWaka Matsuri (Kishu Toshogu Shrine)
Wakayama City · Kishu Toshogu Shrine and the Wakaura area
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, May 17, 2026 （Ended） Mikoshi descent at 11:00; procession 12:00–16:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid May
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year
- Venue
- Kishu Toshogu Shrine and the Wakaura area
- City
- Wakayama City, Wakayama
About
Every May, Wakayama City celebrates the Waka Matsuri, the annual festival of Kishu Toshogu, the shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Edo shogunate; the festival is said to go back some 400 years. It kicks off with the mikoshi oroshi, as a portable shrine is rushed down 108 stone steps framed by fresh green leaves. Then a procession of drummers, Saika dancers, halberd swingers and others leaves the shrine to tour the Wakaura district. With about 1,000 participants in vivid costume, it is the largest festival procession in Wakayama.
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.