An old-style dance in Funato, carrying on an archery tradition
Funato Obisha
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The Sunday before January 20 / Every year
- Location
- Funato Kaikan
- Area
- Chiba Prefecture・Kashiwa City(From Tokyo: approx. 40 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
- 2026/11/12
Funato Obisha is a cultural property in Funato, Kashiwa City. It originated as a ritual in which people shot arrows to pray for a bountiful harvest and is now passed down as a dance in an old style.
About Funato Obisha
Funato Obisha was originally a ritual in which people shot arrows at a target to pray for a bountiful harvest that year.
Today, it is carried on as a dance in an old style, without the archery.
It is said to have begun during the Genna era (around 1620) and is a traditional event in the Funato area, featured as a cultural property of Kashiwa City.
Festival highlights
One highlight is that although the event originated as an archery ritual, it is now preserved as a dance in an old style, without the archery.
You can learn both about Obisha’s role in praying for a bountiful harvest and how it has been passed down in its present form as a dance.
This is not merely an event, but a local folk tradition recorded as a cultural property of Kashiwa City.
An old-style dance in Funato, carrying on an archery tradition
What to expect
The event originally involved shooting arrows at a target to pray for a bountiful harvest.
Today, no archery is performed, and a dance in an old style is passed down.
It is said to have begun during the Genna era (around 1620), and tradition holds that it has been held every year on January 20 since 1836 (Tenpo 7).
Location and access
- Venue and address
Funato Kaikan, 1129-1 Funato, Kashiwa City
Address 1129-1 Funato, Kashiwa City
Dates and season
- Season
The Sunday before January 20
- 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 Chiba Prefecture / Kashiwa City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
柏の葉公園
千葉県柏市柏の葉にある都市公園
Suwa Shrine
千葉県柏市柏にある神社
Origins and History of Funato Obisha
Funato Obisha is said to have begun during the Genna era (around 1620).
It was originally a ritual in which people shot arrows at a target to pray for a bountiful harvest.
Tradition holds that it has been held every year on January 20 since 1836 (Tenpo 7). Today, it is held on the Sunday before January 20 as a dance in an old style, with no archery.
Official information
The Kashiwa City Tourism Association’s “Cultural Properties of Kashiwa” lists Funato Kaikan as the venue for Funato Obisha.
Chiba Prefecture’s cultural heritage materials describe the event’s origins, timing, and present-day form.
Funato Obisha at a Glance
Funato Obisha is an event in Funato, Kashiwa City, said to have begun during the Genna era (around 1620).
Originally, people shot arrows at a target to pray for a bountiful harvest; today, the archery is no longer performed, and the event is passed down as a dance in an old style.
It has been held every year on January 20 since 1836 (Tenpo 7), and is now held on the Sunday before January 20.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/12
