murmurTsuruoka Tenjin Festival (Bakemono Matsuri)
Tsuruoka City · Tsuruoka Tenmangu Shrine and central Tsuruoka
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Mon, May 25, 2026 （Ended） Festival parade starts at 14:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late May
- How the date is set
- Every year on May 25 Main day May 25 (eve on the 24th, closing day on the 26th)
- Venue
- Tsuruoka Tenmangu Shrine and central Tsuruoka
- City
- Tsuruoka City, Yamagata
About
Tsuruoka Tenmangu Shrine honors Sugawara no Michizane, the patron of learning, and its festival is better known as the Bakemono Matsuri, or "festival of disguised spirits". Legend says that when Michizane was exiled to Dazaifu in Kyushu, his admirers, wary of those in power, disguised themselves and hid their faces to share a secret farewell drink. Today, people of all ages put on flamboyant floral under-kimono, hide their faces under towels and woven straw hats, and wander the city center silently offering sake from cups and flasks. It is said that if you visit the shrine in disguise for three years without being recognized, your wish will come true.
Sources
- OfficialTsuruoka Tourism Bureau www.tsuruokakanko.com
- OfficialYamagata Prefecture official tourism site 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.