A Sarado Bon event entrusting hopes for a good harvest and the community to a giant rice-straw rope
Daimonawa Hiki
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- On the night of August 14 (a Bon event) / Every year (currently suspended, according to the materials)
- Location
- On a road designated by the host household (Sarado)
- Area
- Tochigi Prefecture・Otawara City(From Tokyo: approx. 50 min–1 h · bullet 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.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
The Daimonawa Hiki, passed down in Sarado, Otawara City, is a Bon event in which 3 districts pull a giant rope made of rice straw and pray for a good harvest and household safety.
About Daimonawa Hiki
The Daimonawa Hiki is a Bon rope-pulling event passed down in Sarado, formerly part of Yuzukami Village in Otawara City.
The 3 districts of Nakajuku, Furujuku, and Tajuku in Sarado take turns hosting. The host district pulls the giant rope against the other 2 districts.
Winning the tug-of-war is believed to bring a good harvest, household safety, and prosperity to the village. After the pulling, the rope is dedicated to Suwa Shrine.
Tochigi Prefecture’s information says the event is currently suspended.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the enormous rope made from rice straw collected from local farms.
The rope is described as about 50 centimeters in diameter and about 50 meters long, twisted together in a left-hand direction.
In the contest between the 3 districts, they pull against each other until the rope breaks. The outcome carries hopes for a good harvest, household safety, and the prosperity of the village.
A Sarado Bon event entrusting hopes for a good harvest and the community to a giant rice-straw rope
What to expect
The 3 districts take turns hosting, and the host household makes a giant rope from rice straw collected from local farms.
On the night of August 14, the host district pulls against the other 2 districts on a road designated by the host household.
In the past, each host household prepared a giant rope and pulled against the other 2 host households.
After the event, the rope is dedicated at Suwa Shrine’s annual festival and used as the ring for village sumo.
Location and access
- Venue and address
On a road designated by the host household in the Sarado district
周辺施設：諏訪神社
Event venue 栃木県大田原市 当番宿が指定した道路上
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
- Season
On the night of August 14 (a Bon event)
- Frequency
Every year (currently suspended, according to the materials)
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 Tochigi Prefecture / Otawara City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
栃木県なかがわ水遊園
栃木県大田原市にある水族館及び公園
Origins and History of Daimonawa Hiki
The Daimonawa Hiki is one example of a Kanto-region event in which people pull or carry ropes during Bon, and it is said to be at the northernmost edge of the event’s distribution.
Rope-pulling events were once held in parts of Nasu and Haga counties in Tochigi Prefecture as well, but when the materials were compiled, the old-Bon rope-pulling event passed down in Sarado, Yuzukami Village, Nasu County, was the one that remained.
The event’s name comes from the local word “mojiru,” meaning to twist a rope. In Heisei 5November, it was selected as a nationally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Official information
The Database of National Cultural Properties records it as “Yuzukami no Daimoji (Daimonawa) Hiki.”
It is also featured on Tochigi Prefecture’s cultural heritage page as an event passed down in Sarado, Otawara City. The page notes its designation as a nationally selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property in Heisei 5November.
Daimonawa Hiki at a Glance
The Daimonawa Hiki is a Bon event in which 3 districts in Sarado take turns hosting, make a giant rope from rice straw, and pull against one another.
The outcome carries hopes for a good harvest, household safety, and prosperity to the village. Afterward, the rope is dedicated at Suwa Shrine and used as the ring for village sumo.
Cultural heritage materials describe it as the northernmost Bon rope-pulling event in the Kanto region, while Tochigi Prefecture’s information says it is currently suspended.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
