Name: Gogoshima Funadori
Start: 2026-10-03
End: 2026-10-03
Location: Kyū-Tomari Elementary School Gymnasium, Gogoshima Elementary and Junior High School Gymnasium

A traditional performing art of Gogoshima, featuring kabuki-style dances on boats moving across the sea and on an onboard stage.

About Gogoshima Funadori

Gogoshima Funadori is a local performing art staged on the sea and aboard boats, dedicated at the autumn festival rites of Funakoshi Wakehime Shrine.

Dancing te-mabune boats and other vessels accompany the ’s sea procession, and kabuki-style dance dramas are performed aboard the boats.

It is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Ehime Prefecture and has also been selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property requiring measures such as documentation.

It continues to be passed down by the preservation society as a performing art of the island.

Source: 興居島の船踊 - えひめの文化財（たから）

Festival highlights

The main highlight is the dance drama performed on a floating stage made up of several boats.

The performance incorporates kabuki movements, with action scenes accompanied by drums and hyoshigi wooden clappers.

Bonden dances are also performed at the bow and sword-and-oar dances at the stern, so visitors can enjoy different movements at various spots on the boat.

In 2026, “Momijigari” will be performed.

Source: 【2026】興居島秋祭り船踊り奉納｜イベント｜四国のおすすめ観光・旅行情報！【公式】ツーリズム四国

A local performing art of Gogoshima, passed down on a floating stage

What to expect

During the festival rites, a rowing te-mabune boat leads, followed by a dancing te-mabune boat and a mikoshi te-mabune boat traveling together along the coast.

Aboard the dancing te-mabune boat, performers in costume present dance dramas based on kabuki and warrior tales, among other subjects.

It is also said that performances take place 3 times: before the boats depart, aboard the boats, and after they return to port.

A Suigun Taiko performance is also scheduled at the venue for the 2026 dedication.

Source: 国指定文化財等データベース

How to take part

Visitors are advised to watch the procession and dancing aboard the boats from the shore.

The 2026 dedication is listed as an event at a gymnasium venue where visitors can watch the publicly presented performances.

Please check with the preservation society to find out whether you can take part as a performer.

Location and access

Venue and address

Kyū-Tomari Elementary School Gymnasium (618-10 Tomari-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime), and Gogoshima Elementary and Junior High School Gymnasium (425-3 Tomari-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime).

Train and bus

Please take a ferry from Takahama Port to Tomari Port or Yura Port.

There is no public transportation on Gogoshima.

By car

Take a ferry from Takahama Port to the island.

Parking

Free parking is available near each port, and there is also parking at Funakoshi Park in front of Gogoshima Elementary and Junior High School.

Address 618-10 Tomari-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime (Kyū-Tomari Elementary School Gymnasium); 425-3 Tomari-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime (Gogoshima Elementary and Junior High School Gymnasium)

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the dates listed have passed)

The 2026 dedication was announced as scheduled for October 3 (Sat).

Three time slots are listed: from 11:20 a.m., from 1 p.m., and from 1:45 p.m.

From 1:35 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., students of Gogoshima Junior High School will perform Suigun Taiko.

It is usually held on the first Saturday of October.

Accommodation and hotels PR

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 / Matsuyama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)

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Tips for your visit

To reach the island, you need to take a ferry from Takahama Port; there is no public transportation on Gogoshima.

In 2026, the venues are split between Kyū-Tomari Elementary School Gymnasium and Gogoshima Elementary and Junior High School Gymnasium, so be sure to check the time and venue before visiting.

Free parking is listed near each port and at Funakoshi Park, but check ferry schedules and crowd conditions in advance.

俳人正岡子規を記念する愛媛県松山市立の博物館

Visit the official page ↗

Photo and data sources

写真：Tamago915 ( talk ) / CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo source ·

Facility data source

Origins and History of Gogoshima Funadori

The origins of Gogoshima Funadori are unclear, but according to island tradition, it began when a brave warrior of the Iyo navy acted out scenes of battle for his family.

Later, as kabuki theater became more widespread, the performance changed by adopting its styles and program titles.

Today, the performance takes the form of kabuki-style dance dramas on a floating stage, and it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Ehime Prefecture in Showa 39.

Source: 興居島「船踊り」 - 興居島に伝わる郷土芸能「船踊り」のサイトです

Official information

The official website of the Gogoshima Funadori Preservation Society features information on the dance’s origins and development, past performances, and videos.

For details of the 2026 dedication, the official website has an announcement titled “2026 Funadori Dedication.”

Event information can be checked on both the preservation society’s official website and tourism information pages.