Yoshikawa Hachimangu Tobansai Grand Festival

About this event

Counted among the three major festivals of Okayama Prefecture, the Yoshikawa Hachimangu Tobansai is a traditional autumn festival whose grand festival is held annually on the fourth Sunday of October. The most distinctive feature of this festival is that boys around 10 years old serve as the central figures called "Toban-sama." The festival begins on October 1 with a ritual called "Tosashi," followed by various rituals conducted over approximately one month. On the day of the grand festival, two Toban boys ride sacred horses accompanied by a procession to worship at Yoshikawa Hachimangu Shrine. Afterwards, they divide into two teams to perform a dynamic horse-riding race to pray for bountiful harvests. Designated as a Prefectural Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, this festival is a valuable opportunity to experience deeply rooted regional culture. In the Toban districts, structures called "Hakke" are erected where rituals inviting the descent of deities are performed. During the eve festival (yoimatsuri), the Toban dressed in white robes ride horses in a procession toward the shrine to conduct rituals in the main hall. During the grand festival, following a procession similar to the eve festival, the portable shrine proceeds to the otabisho, after which the Toban and attendants race back to the main hall. At the conclusion of the festival, a ritual is held for the Toban to return from the divine realm to the secular world, concluding the month-long festivities.

Venue

Yoshikawa Hachimangu Shrine

3932 Yoshikawa, Kibichuo-cho, Kaga-gun, Okayama 716-1241