Bonbon and Aoyama-sama

“Bonbon” and “Aoyama-sama,” passed down in Matsumoto’s castle town, are summer events in which singing and calls from the process through the neighborhood. This folk culture, which carries Edo-period customs into the present, has been passed down alongside local life.

About Bonbon and Aoyama-sama

“Bonbon” and “Aoyama-sama” are summer events passed down mainly in Matsumoto’s castle town.

During Bonbon, girls with paper flowers in their hair walk through the neighborhood in , carrying lanterns decorated with Chinese lantern plants and singing.

At Aoyama-sama, boys carry a mikoshi piled with blue cedar branches, calling out as they visit each household.

They are said to have begun around the end of the Edo period, mainly in the three central districts, and have now spread to the surrounding areas.

Source: 松本のぼんぼん・青山様 - 松本市ホームページ

Festival highlights

The highlight is the two processions moving through the neighborhood in the evening.

The girls in Bonbon wear paper flowers, yukata, and lanterns decorated with Chinese lantern plants, along with pokkuri geta, and sing plaintive songs.

At Aoyama-sama, a banner of Aoyama Shrine is raised, and people carry a mikoshi piled with blue cedar branches while calling out spiritedly.

In some neighborhood associations, the two processions can be seen making their rounds together.

Source: PDF資料

A summer custom in Matsumoto’s castle town, with songs and mikoshi processions winding through the streets

What to expect

The event takes place as a procession through the neighborhood, from early August until just before Obon.

During Bonbon, girls walk while singing, and at Aoyama-sama, boys carry a mikoshi from house to house.

In some neighborhood associations, offerings are collected, and roles may be assigned by school year, such as carrying the mikoshi, carrying the stand on which the mikoshi rests, or carrying the offering box.

Location and access

Venue and address: Various locations in Matsumoto City

Address Various locations in Matsumoto City

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Dates and season

Season: From early August until around just before Obon

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Nearby attractions

Museums · 美術館の汎用イラスト（AI生成 · 実際の施設ではありません） — Illustration for reference

飛騨山脈南部の長野県松本市と岐阜県高山市にまたがる山

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Photo and data sources

写真：Alpsdake / Public domain

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Origins and History of Bonbon and Aoyama-sama

Bonbon and Aoyama-sama are said to have begun around the end of the Edo period through the Meiji period, mainly in Honmachi, Nakamachi, and Higashimachi.

Bonbon is an event that carries on the custom of the Edo-period dance. Although the origins of Bonbon in Matsumoto itself are unclear, songbooks from the Edo period contain lyrics similar to those sung today.

The conditions at the time are also recorded in the 1933 “History of Matsumoto City.” The event was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Matsumoto City in 1992 and selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Nagano Prefecture in 2001.

Official information

Matsumoto City website, “Matsumoto’s Bonbon and Aoyama-sama”