murmurHofu Tenmangu Goshinko-sai (Hadakabo Festival)
Hofu City · Hofu Tenmangu Shrine to Katsuma-no-ura (Otabisho)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hofu Tenmangu Shrine · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sat, Nov 28, 2026
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late November
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year
- Venue
- Hofu Tenmangu Shrine to Katsuma-no-ura (Otabisho)
- City
- Hofu City, Yamaguchi
About
Carried on at Hofu Tenmangu Shrine for over a thousand years, this festival is famous as one of the roughest in western Japan. Around 5,000 hadakabo in white robes chant "Kyodai wasshoi!" on a round trip between the shrine and the otabisho at Katsuma-no-ura, where Sugawara no Michizane is said to have arrived by boat. The climax comes as the 500-kilogram Oajiro-goshi palanquin passes the tower gate and slides down 58 great stone steps, shaking the ground. In 2026 the festival is the grand ceremony marking 1,125 years since Michizane's death, and the shrine hopes 10,000 hadakabo will take part. Roads around the area are restricted on the day.
Sources
- OfficialHofu Tenmangu Shrine www.hofutenmangu.com
- OfficialYamaguchi Prefecture Tourism Federation (Oidemase Yamaguchi) yamaguchi-tourism.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.