2026 Oasa Shrine Annual Grand Festival
Japanese name:令和8年度 大麻神社例大祭
📅 Sat, Oct 17, 2026 - Mon, Oct 19, 2026
About this event
At the Oasa Shrine festival, the festivities are enlivened by Sawara-style festival floats decorated with ornamental figures, paraded from five districts of Aso. The Gentsu district features Emperor Keiko, the Kamanawa district features Sugawara no Michizane, the Shimobuchi district features Emperor Keiko (father of Yamatotakeru no Mikoto), the Tamachi district features Futsunushi no Mikoto, and the Honjo district features Takemikazuchi no Mikoto. The festival music (ohayashi) and traditional hand dances accompanying the float pulling strongly reflect the influence of Edo-rivaling festivals encouraged by wealthy Sawara merchants during the Edo period. In the grand dance (Soodori) where youth groups from the five districts compete, visitors can enjoy graceful and dynamic hand dances. In particular, the Soodori grand dance is scheduled to be performed at the Aso Community Center from around 18:00 on Saturday, October 17. Note that there will be no float processions on Monday, October 19.
Source website (Japanese) ↗Venue
Namegata City Aso Community Center
1221 Aso, Namegata, Ibaraki 311-3832
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