A rice-planting rite for a good harvest, handed down on a plot within the shrine grounds
Chichibu Shrine Otaue Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on April 4 / Every year
- Location
- Chichibu Shrine
- Area
- Saitama Prefecture・Chichibu City(From Tokyo: approx. 30 min–1 h · train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Chichibu Shrine Otaue Festival is a religious rite in which the are treated as rice fields and rice-growing tasks are performed to rice-planting songs. The procession to Imamiya Shrine to pray for water carries the prayers for a good harvest forward.
About Chichibu Shrine Otaue Festival
The Chichibu Shrine Otaue Festival is a religious rite in which the shrine grounds are treated as rice fields and a series of rice-growing tasks are performed symbolically to pray for a good harvest.
A straw dragon deity is welcomed, and rites depicting the stages from preparing the seedling bed through planting and harvesting are performed to rice-planting songs.
As a spring festival at Chichibu Shrine, it carries on the region’s agricultural culture and prayers to the present day.
Source: 祭典・神事 | 秩父神社
Festival highlights
A highlight is the scene in which shrine attendants dressed in white and wearing sedge hats perform rice-planting movements on a plot set up within the shrine grounds.
After the rites, a water-praying procession travels to Imamiya Shrine. Following the Ryujin Festival, the water offering is brought back to Chichibu Shrine.
Rice-planting songs, flutes and drums, and rites to welcome water come together, letting you follow the sequence of agricultural rituals up close.
Source: 秩父神社御田植祭 | 秩父観光なび / 秩父神社御田植祭 - Wikipedia
A rice-planting rite for a good harvest, handed down on a plot within the shrine grounds
What to expect
The rites begin at the main sanctuary, followed by a procession to Imamiya Shrine to pray for water.
After the Ryujin Festival, the water offering is carried back to Chichibu Shrine, where a serving rite is held in the .
Afterward, on a plot within the shrine grounds, the agricultural tasks—from preparing the seedling bed and sowing seeds to preparing the main paddy, planting rice, and harvesting—are performed in sequence to rice-planting songs.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Chichibu Shrine (Banbamachi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture).
The event takes place within the shrine grounds and at the main sanctuary.
- Train and bus
Seibu Railway passengers can get off at Seibu-Chichibu Station, and Chichibu Railway passengers at Chichibu Station, among other options.
Local bus routes in Chichibu City are also listed.
- By car
From Hanazono IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway, take National Route 140 to Chichibu City. From Kawagoe IC or Tsurugashima IC, take National Route 299 to Chichibu City.
- Parking
Information is provided on coin-operated parking lots in Chichibu City.
Source: アクセス | 秩父観光なび
Address Banbamachi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Every year on April 4
- Frequency
Every year
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Saitama Prefecture / Chichibu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The rites at the main sanctuary, the water-praying procession to Imamiya Shrine, and the rice-planting ceremony in the shrine grounds take place in sequence, so where you should wait depends on which part you want to see.
To avoid disrupting the rites, follow the instructions and directions given by staff within the shrine grounds.
As some rituals involve handling water offerings and a straw dragon deity, it is best to observe quietly and respectfully.
Nearby attractions
三峯神社
埼玉県秩父市にある神社
秩父まつり会館
埼玉県秩父市にある秩父夜祭を主題とする展示施設
Chichibu Shrine
埼玉県秩父市にある神社
Origins and History of Chichibu Shrine Otaue Festival
In earlier times, the Otaue Festival was held on day 3 of lunar month 2.
Records from the Edo period note that for more than 10 days before the festival, nearby farming households refrained from working and observed a modest way of life.
It is now held on April 4 and is designated a Saitama Prefecture-selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property for preserving agricultural rituals and customs.
Official information
The Chichibu Shrine official website’s “Festivals and Rituals” page provides information on the date, time, location, and rituals of the Otaue Festival.
The festival is held at the main sanctuary and within the shrine grounds every April 4, starting at 1 p.m.
Chichibu Shrine Otaue Festival at a Glance
The Chichibu Shrine Otaue Festival is a spring religious rite in which rice-growing tasks are performed on grounds treated as paddies to pray for a good harvest.
Through prayers for water at Imamiya Shrine, the straw dragon deity, water offerings, and rice-planting songs, the festival unfolds as a series of prayers connected with farming and water.
The performance by the shrine attendants, depicting the process from preparing the seedling bed through harvesting, is a central highlight of the festival.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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