Fukumizawa’s Okuribon: sending off spirits with fire, music, and pushing contests
Fukumizawa Okuribon event
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The old Bon period August 16
- Location
- The upper and lower cemeteries in Fukumizawa, Oga City, and the Fukumizawa settlement
- Area
- Akita Prefecture・Oga City(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h 40 min–4 h 10 min · 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.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
A local Okuribon event passed down in Fukumizawa, Oga City, featuring a procession with drums and flutes, fire, hashidome, and . During the old Bon period August 16, the spirits are sent off as the procession visits two cemeteries and the settlement.
About Fukumizawa Okuribon event
The Fukumizawa Okuribon event is a distinctive Buddhist spirit-sending ritual passed down in Fukumizawa, Oga City.
A little after 3 p.m. during the old Bon period August 16, people carrying straw torches and five-colored flags gather at the cemetery around the Bon Buddha figures, and a procession of young people with , flutes, and sasara begins.
The procession visits the upper and lower cemeteries and sends off the spirits through fire, music, and its passage through the village.
It is a prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural property.
Festival highlights
Highlights include a procession of about 18 people: 5 taiko drummers wearing with sashes, 8 flute players in women’s clothing and flower hats, and 5 sasara players.
At the upper cemetery, straw torches and a mound of flags are set alight, and the procession circles them 3 times while playing music.
At 3 locations in the village, young people try to stop the procession in a fierce pushing contest called “hashidome.” The event ends with Bon Odori.
Fukumizawa’s Okuribon: sending off spirits with fire, music, and pushing contests
What to expect
The event begins at the upper cemetery. After sending off the spirits with fire, the procession moves to the lower cemetery.
Along the way, the procession stops at Nejore’s house, circles the estate 3 times while playing music, receives refreshments, and takes a short rest.
The same ritual is repeated at the lower cemetery. Afterward, the flute tune changes as the procession parades through the village. Following hashidome, Bon Odori begins in the settlement square.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The upper and lower cemeteries in Fukumizawa, Oga City, and the Fukumizawa settlement
Address Fukumizawa, Oga City
Dates and season
- Season
The old Bon period August 16
Accommodation and hotels PR
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Tips for your visit
The procession moves from the cemetery into the Fukumizawa settlement.
At 3 “hashidome” locations in the village, young people reportedly tried to stop the procession in pushing contests so intense that traffic was temporarily blocked.
Since the event moves between several locations, be sure to check where each part takes place as you watch.
Nearby attractions
なまはげ館
秋田県男鹿市にある資料館
写真：Kumpei Shiraishi / CC BY 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
男鹿市若美ふるさと資料館
秋田県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
Mayama Shrine
秋田県男鹿市にある神社
写真：らんで / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
秋田県立男鹿水族館
秋田県男鹿市にある水族館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Fukumizawa Okuribon event
Meanwhile, local tradition holds that it has been passed down for 300 years as a nenbutsu ritual introduced by Kumano shugendo practitioners.
Its atmosphere of honoring and sending off spirits, along with the distinctive form of the event, has been recognized, and it is described as having no parallel elsewhere in the prefecture.
Official information
The Oga City website provides the name and location of the Fukumizawa Okuribon event, its cultural property designation, and an outline of the event.
The Fukumizawa Okuribon Preservation Society supports the event.
A phone number for the Oga City Cultural Affairs and Geopark Promotion Section, Culture and Sports Division, is listed for inquiries about the cultural property.
Fukumizawa Okuribon event at a Glance
The Fukumizawa Okuribon event is a distinctive Buddhist spirit-sending ritual of Fukumizawa, held during the old Bon period August 16.
A procession of taiko, flutes, and sasara visits two cemeteries, sets straw torches alight, and circles the fire while playing music.
In the village, pushing contests called “hashidome” take place, followed by Bon Odori.
Some aspects of its origins are unclear, but it is said to have been passed down for 300 years.
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
