An early-summer grand festival where mikoshi connect the streets and sea of Zaimokuza
Gosho Shrine Annual Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Held around the second Sunday of June / Every year
- Location
- Gosho Shrine (the procession takes place in Zaimokuza; the sea procession takes place at Zaimokuza Beach)
- Area
- Kanagawa Prefecture・Kamakura City(From Tokyo: approx. 30 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
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Age restrictions
- The mikoshi-underpass ritual is for babies under 1 year old
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Gosho Shrine Annual Festival in Zaimokuza, Kamakura City, is a local festival characterized by a mikoshi procession through the neighborhood and a sea procession at Zaimokuza Beach. You can watch the mikoshi procession, led by traditional festival music and shouts, both through the neighborhood and along the shore.
About Gosho Shrine Annual Festival
The Gosho Shrine Annual Festival is the grand festival of Gosho Shrine, the local tutelary shrine of Zaimokuza, Kamakura City.
Gosho Shrine enshrines together five shrines that once stood in the neighborhood: Yakumo, Mishima, Suwa, Konpira, and Shime Yasaka. It is closely connected to the history of the local community.
The festival features a mikoshi procession, offering a chance to experience the connection between the shrine and the community amid the streets and shoreline of Zaimokuza.
Source: 五所神社｜鎌倉市観光協会 | 時を楽しむ、旅がある。～鎌倉観光公式ガイド～ / 五所神社 - 神奈川県神社庁
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the sea procession, in which the mikoshi proceeds to Zaimokuza Beach.
The mikoshi parades through the neighborhood to traditional festival music, the Tenno Song, and shouts of “Dokkoi, dokkoi,” then enters the sea after a priest recites a prayer and performs a purification ritual on the beach.
The tekomai procession and the mikoshi-underpass ritual held near Kuhonji Temple are also distinctive parts of the festival.
Source: 勇壮な神輿の海上渡御も！鎌倉で「五所神社例大祭」が6月13・14日に開催｜さんたつ by 散歩の達人
An early-summer grand festival where mikoshi connect the streets and sea of Zaimokuza
What to expect
The festival includes a mikoshi procession during the eve-of-festival celebrations, the grand festival ceremony on the main festival day, and a mikoshi procession through the neighborhood.
Led by tekomai dancers, the mikoshi proceeds through the neighborhood, taking breaks along the way as it makes for Zaimokuza Beach.
At the beach, after a norito prayer and a purification ritual, the bearers carry the mikoshi into the sea as part of the sea procession.
How to take part
You can watch the mikoshi procession from along the route or the beach.
Elementary-school girls join the festival procession as tekomai dancers, and near Kuhonji Temple there is a custom of holding babies under 1 year old while passing beneath the mikoshi.
Advance registration and a hatsuho-ryo offering are required to take part in the mikoshi-underpass ritual.
Visitors can watch the mikoshi procession from along the route or at Zaimokuza Beach.
The mikoshi-underpass ritual is for babies under 1 year old and requires advance registration and a hatsuho-ryo offering.
Please contact Gosho Shrine to confirm how to register and when registration is open.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Gosho Shrine (2-9-1 Zaimokuza, Kamakura City).
Part of the mikoshi procession travels through Zaimokuza, and the sea procession takes place at Zaimokuza Beach.
- Train and bus
Take a bus bound for Rinkai Gakuen from bus stop 6 at the east exit of Kamakura Station, get off at Gosho Shrine, and walk 2 minutes.
Address 2-9-1 Zaimokuza, Kamakura City
Dates and season
- Season
Held around the second Sunday of June
- 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 Kanagawa Prefecture / Kamakura City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
During the sea procession, the mikoshi moves through the waves, so when watching from the beach, it is important to choose a spot that does not obstruct the bearers or the mikoshi.
The mikoshi procession travels through the neighborhood, so watch from along the route or the beach as the procession passes.
Advance registration and a hatsuho-ryo offering are required to take part in the mikoshi-underpass ritual.
Nearby attractions
Nearby spots introduced around the venue include Zaimokuza Beach, Myohoji Temple (the Moss Temple), and Anyo-in Temple.
Zaimokuza Beach is also the setting for the sea procession, making it easy to combine festival highlights with a walk around the area.
If you visit nearby sites, including temples, please check each site’s visiting requirements and opening hours.
佐助稲荷神社
神奈川県鎌倉市佐助にある神社
写真：Houze from San Francisco / CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo source ·
鎌倉宮
神奈川県鎌倉市二階堂にある神社
鶴岡八幡宮
神奈川県鎌倉市雪ノ下にある神社
Origins and History of Gosho Shrine Annual Festival
Gosho Shrine originated from the merger of five shrines that stood in the former Midarebashi and Zaimokuza villages.
According to information from the Kanagawa Prefecture Shrine Agency, four other shrines were merged with Gosho Shrine in Meiji 41, and it was renamed Gosho Shrine.
After the former Suwa Shrine main sanctuary was completely destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake, the current shrine buildings were rebuilt in Showa 6.
Official information
The Kanagawa Prefecture Shrine Agency lists Gosho Shrine’s address as 2-9-1 Zaimokuza, Kamakura City, and describes its grand festival as a Shinko Festival held on the second Sunday of June.
The phone number listed in the Gosho Shrine information for festival or mikoshi-underpass inquiries is 0467-25-0949.
Gosho Shrine Annual Festival at a Glance
The Gosho Shrine Annual Festival is a local grand festival centered on Gosho Shrine in Zaimokuza, Kamakura City.
Highlights include the mikoshi procession through the neighborhood, traditional festival music, and tekomai dancers, as well as the sea procession, in which the mikoshi enters the water at Zaimokuza Beach.
It is usually held around the second Sunday of June, and advance registration is required to take part in the mikoshi-underpass ritual.
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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