About this event
The Soga Shrine Festival is a traditional festival praying for bountiful harvests. Established in the first year of Chogen (1028) to enshrine the ancestors of the Soga clan, Soga Shrine is deeply rooted in the local community as the guardian deity of the six villages of Soga-go. On the day of the festival, starting from the morning, 5 dashi floats from each district and 1 mikoshi (portable shrine) parade through their respective areas, bringing the entire community together in excitement. Around 11:00 AM, the procession enters the shrine led by Sarutahiko, marking the festival's climax. Following the entry into the shrine, Takasago dolls are displayed on one of the floats, and ohayashi music and dance are dedicated. The mikoshi procession ritual, handed down since the Edo period, conveys the history and traditions of Soga no Sato to this day alongside the floats of each village. The shrine's mikoshi procession takes place once every four years (leap years), and the festival is sometimes conducted on a reduced scale.
Official website (Japanese) ↗Venue
Soga Shrine
386 Soga-yatsu, Odawara, Kanagawa 250-0204
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