murmurSuhotei Festival
Shimonoseki City · Iminomiya Shrine
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Iminomiya Shrine · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Aug 7–13, 2026 （Ended） 19:30–21:00 (Shinto rite at 19:00)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid August
- How the date is set
- Every year, August 7 – August 13
- Venue
- Iminomiya Shrine
- City
- Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi
About
Every night from August 7 to 13, Iminomiya Shrine in Chofu, Shimonoseki, comes alive with this summer festival, often called one of the strangest in Japan and designated an intangible folk cultural property of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The story goes that Emperor Chuai personally shot the invading general Jinrin and his overjoyed soldiers danced around the fallen enemy; the stone laid over Jinrin's grave is called the Oni-ishi, or demon stone. As gongs and drums sound, men hoist and dance with towering bamboo banners 20 to 30 meters long, and women carry bamboo branches hung with kiriko lanterns around the demon stone.
Sources
- OfficialIminomiya Shrine iminomiya-jinjya.com
- OfficialYamaguchi Prefectural 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.