An Okuiyo mud festival rooted in traditions of plowing with oxen and rice planting
Doronko Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Julyfirst Sunday / Every year
- Location
- Mishima Shrine sacred rice field
- Area
- Ehime Prefecture・Seiyo City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 25 min–1 h 45 min · flight time only)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
A traditional event in Shirokawa-cho, Seiyo City, where people perform rice-planting-related tasks in the paddy, including plowing with oxen and Saotome hand dancing, and pray for a good harvest and good health.
About Doronko Festival
The Doronko Festival is a rice-field-rest event held at the Mishima Shrine sacred rice field in Doi, Shirokawa-cho, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture.
People give thanks to the gods for the joy of finishing the rice planting and pray for abundant harvests and good health.
As the prefecturally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property “Doi Otaue Ritual,” it conveys local prayers and rice-field culture while portraying farm work in a humorous way.
Source: 土居の御田植行事 - えひめの文化財（たから）
Festival highlights
A highlight is plowing the field with oxen lined up side by side pulling a wooden harrow.
Next are a humorous performance of planting beans along the paddy banks, the ritual “Sanbai Oroshi,” which prays for a good harvest, and Saotome hand dancing.
Rice planting unfolds in the paddy to the accompaniment of Saotome dancers in white and flower hats, along with drums and festival music.
An Okuiyo mud festival rooted in traditions of plowing with oxen and rice planting
What to expect
The event begins with a ritual at the shrine’s , then moves to the sacred rice field for plowing, planting beans along the rice paddy banks, and the Sanbai Oroshi ritual.
After that, Saotome dancers in white yukata perform a hand dance in the paddy, followed by Otaue, a performance of the movements involved in rice planting.
Oxen, drums, sasara rattles, flower hats, rice-planting ropes, and other tools and roles associated with farming and ritual combine to form a continuous sequence.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Mishima Shrine sacred rice field (Doi, Shirokawa-cho, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture).
Address Doi, Shirokawa-cho, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Julyfirst Sunday
- 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 Ehime Prefecture / Seiyo City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
A related facility is the Doronko Festival Preservation Hall.
Visitors can see the mask of “Oban,” associated with the first Mishima Shrine, festival implements and costumes, the altar used for the Otaue Festival, and award-winning entries from a photo contest.
The address is 151 Doi, Shirokawa-cho, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture. The nearest bus stop is Shimo-Doi, served by Uwajima Jidosha, and parking is listed as having space for 5 cars.
Source: どろんこ祭り保存館｜愛媛のスポット・体験｜愛媛県の公式観光サイト【いよ観ネット】
愛媛県歴史文化博物館
愛媛県西予市にある博物館
開明学校
愛媛県西予市宇和町に建てられた、四国最古の小学校
Origins and History of Doronko Festival
According to tradition, the local Otaue ritual began around Meiji 15 (1882).
It is said to have begun as a rice-field-rest event after Hyo-taro Takatsuki, who had been adopted into a family in Doi from Kanachika, Mima-cho, consulted with young men and other volunteers.
One tradition says that the Otaue Festival originated at Warei Shrine in Uwajima City and began in Kansei 2 (1790); today, it is carried on as the Doronko Festival.
Official information
It is listed on the Ehime Prefecture official website, “Cultural Properties of Ehime,” as the prefecturally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property “Doi Otaue Ritual.”
The listing introduces its location, designation date, origins, and details.
Doronko Festival at a Glance
The Doronko Festival is an Otaue rice-planting ritual handed down in Doi, Shirokawa-cho, Seiyo City.
Through plowing with oxen, planting beans along the paddy banks, the Sanbai Oroshi ritual, Saotome hand dancing, and rice planting, the event expresses gratitude for the rice planting and prayers for abundant harvests and good health.
As a prefecturally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property, it carries on local agricultural culture and festival traditions.
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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