Otsuchi Festival 2026

About this event

Heralding autumn in Sanriku, the Otsuchi Festival is the largest traditional event in Otsuchi Town, spanning three days of festivities that embody prayers from a life lived with the sea and faith rooted in the town's daily life. The annual festivals of two shrines—Otsuchi Inari Shrine and Kozuchi Shrine—overlap, with sacred rituals and Shinkosai (deity procession ceremonies) unfolding day by day at each shrine. Otsuchi Inari Shrine, carrying faith connected to the sea, conducts the Yoimiya Festival, Shinkosai (river crossing procession), and the Hikifune (boat towing) Festival. Meanwhile, Kozuchi Shrine, rooted in the town's daily life, conducts the Kozuchi River crossing procession as its Shinkosai following the Yoimiya Festival. Through the procession of mikoshi (portable shrines) and the dedication of local traditional performing arts, visitors can experience how regional history and faith remain vibrant today, witnessing moving scenes where sound, light, and prayer fill the town.

Venue

Otsuchi Town

Otsuchi-cho, Kamihei-gun, Iwate