Gion Festival (Ichikawamisato Town)

Festival highlights

A highlight is the mikoshi procession, with several mikoshi making their way through Ichikawadaimon.

Along with the main mikoshi and the Daimonmutsumi mikoshi, children’s mikoshi also appear, creating a festive atmosphere centered on the central shopping street.

Another point of interest is the distinctive local religious custom of offering gourds and praying for health and protection from illness.

Ichikawadaimon’s Gion-san: three mikoshi and a living tradition of offering gourds

What to expect

At the festival, you can see mikoshi associated with Susanoo Shrine parading through the town center.

The main mikoshi, the Daimonmutsumi mikoshi, and children’s mikoshi appear, with Konjaku-dori in the central shopping street as the main setting.

Visitors can offer gourds and pray for health and protection from illness, taking part in a custom passed down through the festival.

How to take part

You can visit the festival as a worshipper, offer a gourd, and pray for good health and protection from illness.

The main way to enjoy the festival is to watch the mikoshi procession and pay your respects as part of the Susanoo Shrine festival.

Visitors can take part in the festival by offering a gourd and praying for good health and protection from illness.

Please check whether there are procedures or advance registration for joining as a mikoshi bearer or taking part in the children’s mikoshi.

To watch the procession, visit Konjaku Street in the Ichikawadaimon Central Shopping District and see the mikoshi procession.

Location and access

Venue and address

Ichikawadaimon Central Shopping Street (Konjaku-dori).

Train and bus

It is about a 5-minute walk from Ichikawahonmachi Station on the JR Minobu Line.

By car

It is about 20 minutes from the Kofu-Minami IC on the Chuo Expressway.

Event venue 山梨県市川三郷町 市川大門中央商店街

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

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Dates and season

It is held every second Saturday in July.

This summer festival takes place in the Ichikawadaimon Central Shopping District, where mikoshi processions wind through the town center.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

The mikoshi procession takes place mainly along Konjaku-dori in Ichikawadaimon Central Shopping Street. When watching, please be mindful of the moving mikoshi and the people visiting the shrine around you.

If you offer a gourd, please respect the festival’s customs when visiting the shrine.

Please check in advance whether you can participate as a mikoshi bearer and for detailed information about the day.

Origins and History of Gion Festival (Ichikawamisato Town)

The Gion Festival is the annual festival enshrining Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the deity of Susanoo Shrine.

The event is held to pray for protection from epidemics and for health. It is explained that the belief in protection from epidemics associated with Kyoto’s Gion Festival was also passed down to Ichikawadaimon.

The custom of offering cucumbers is said to be connected to the resemblance between their cross-sections and the shrine crest of Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

Source: 祇園祭 (市川三郷町) - Wikipedia

Official information

The tourism information on the official Ichikawamisato Town website provides details about the Gion Festival’s timing, venue, access, mikoshi procession, and custom of offering gourds.

The venue is Konjaku-dori in Ichikawadaimon Central Shopping Street, and the event is presented as a festival of Susanoo Shrine.

Gion Festival (Ichikawamisato Town) at a Glance

The Gion Festival in Ichikawamisato Town is a summer festival centered on Susanoo Shrine, with the main mikoshi, the Daimonmutsumi mikoshi, and children’s mikoshi parading through town.

A distinctive feature is the locally rooted custom of offering gourds and praying for health and protection from illness.

It is held on the second Saturday of July every year, along Konjaku-dori in Ichikawadaimon Central Shopping Street.