Kyubon Michijune

About this event

Okinawa's Kyubon (ancestral festival) is an important three-day event held from the 13th to the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. On the final day, Ukui, powerful Eisa dances are performed across various areas alongside rituals to send off ancestral spirits. In Okinawa City, Naha, and other localities, youth associations march through neighborhoods playing taiko drums and sanshin in Michijune processions, preserving this traditional performing art that conveys reverence for ancestors. In 2026, Okinawa's Kyubon takes place from Tuesday, August 25 to Thursday, August 27. During the Kyubon period, offerings are placed on family altars (butsudan) throughout the prefecture, relatives gather, and ancestors are welcomed and sent off. On the final day, Ukui, local Eisa is showcased as Michijune, enveloping areas such as Okinawa City and Naha in vibrant energy. On the night of Ukui, youth associations hold Eisa Michijune in various parts of Okinawa City and Naha. Serving as a quintessential tradition of Okinawa's Kyubon (Obon), performers clad in colorful attire parade through villages and urban streets amid the resonant sounds of sanshin and taiko drums, praying for good health and family safety for each household. The origins of Eisa date back approximately 400 to 500 years to the Ryukyu Kingdom era. Nembutsu dances took root locally and became established as a ritual to send off ancestral spirits on the final day of Obon. Initially, it involved visiting homes primarily with hand dances without drums to pray for sound health and household safety. Over time, sanshin and large taiko drums were added, increasing the musicality and dynamic power, and unique styles developed across Okinawa. This tradition remains vibrant today as a core element of local culture, as seen in the 2026 Michijune processions in Okinawa City and Naha.

Venue

Tokashiki Village

Tokashiki Village, Shimajiri District, Okinawa Prefecture