murmurYachi Donga Matsuri
Kahoku Town · Yachi Hachimangu Shrine and around Kahoku town
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Yamagata Prefecture Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sep 19–21, 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 Every year on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday that include Respect for the Aged Day in September
- Venue
- Yachi Hachimangu Shrine and around Kahoku town
- City
- Kahoku Town, Yamagata
About
The annual festival of Yachi Hachimangu Shrine in Kahoku is held over the Saturday, Sunday and Monday around Respect for the Aged Day in September. Its centerpiece is the Hayashi-ke Bugaku, ancient court dances passed down through the Hayashi family for more than 1,100 years in a lineage linked to Shitennoji Temple in Osaka, and counted among Japan's four great bugaku traditions. At night, bugaku is performed again and the portable shrine is carried out in near darkness — a solemn, atmospheric sight. Leading the shrine's return procession are the Yachi Yakko, footmen known for their bold moves and humorous call-and-response songs, a custom said to date from the early Meiji era. Festival-music floats tour the town for all three days, and on the final night they gather with the yakko for a lively showdown of music, song and dance.
Sources
- OfficialYamagata Prefecture Tourism Association yamagatakanko.com
Last checked: Oct 10, 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.