A summer festival alive in Makabe, connecting the mikoshi with the spirit of the town
Festival rites of Gosho Komataki Shrine
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year
- Location
- Gosho Komataki Shrine and the former town of Makabe
- Area
- Ibaraki Prefecture・Sakuragawa City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 10 min–1 h 30 min · limited express)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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The festival rites of Gosho Komataki Shrine are a traditional event in the Makabe area of Sakuragawa, passed down through the procession and the festival organizations of its towns.
About Festival rites of Gosho Komataki Shrine
The festival rites of Gosho Komataki Shrine are a summer celebration handed down in the Makabe area of Sakuragawa, Ibaraki Prefecture.
With a history of about 400 years, it later came to be known as the Makabe Gion Festival.
Held with the participation of the entire former town, the festival has been passed down as a celebration that retains traces of the Makabe clan era.
It is also designated as a nationally selected intangible folk cultural property.
Source: いばらきの伝統文化-伝統文化 五所駒瀧神社の祭事
Festival highlights
A highlight is the route taken by the mikoshi as it is carried in procession from Gosho Komataki Shrine into Makabe.
The mikoshi receives prayers at the boundaries of each town and in front of the homes of former town elders and town headmen, while playing hyottoko festival music come out to welcome it.
The distinctive character of the festival is also reflected in how the towns welcome the mikoshi and in the role of the festival organizations passed down in each town.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
A summer festival alive in Makabe, connecting the mikoshi with the spirit of the town
What to expect
At the festival, local festival organizations based in the five towns take the lead in welcoming the mikoshi.
On the 13th day of the 6th month of the old lunar calendar, representatives from each town go to the shrine. The mikoshi is placed on an ox cart, carried through the town, and brought to the temporary resting place.
After being enshrined at the temporary resting place for 3 days, the mikoshi returns to the shrine. During this period, the mikoshi is handed over, and a head handover ceremony is also held as part of the kasanuki ceremony.
Location and access
- Venue
Gosho Komataki Shrine and the former town of Makabe
- Address
499 Yamao, Sakuragawa, Ibaraki Prefecture
Address 499 Yamao, Sakuragawa, Ibaraki Prefecture
Dates and season
- 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 Ibaraki Prefecture / Sakuragawa City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Hensho-in, adjacent to Gosho Komataki Shrine, is said to be the family temple of the Makabe clan and is introduced as a place where generations of gorinto stone pagodas stand in a row.
It is one of the nearby sites where visitors can explore the history of the Makabe clan, which is closely connected with the shrine festival.
The gorinto are also noted as a prefecture-designated cultural property.
Source: 五所駒瀧神社と真壁氏｜桜川市 | 茨城の寺社巡りなら「茨城見聞録」
真壁城
茨城県桜川市にあった城
礒部稲村神社
茨城県桜川市にある神社
Origins and History of Festival rites of Gosho Komataki Shrine
It is said that in the early Edo period, the first town elder of Makabe and the headmen of its five towns consulted together and began a summer festival to help the town prosper as a commercial center.
It is organized around the five towns of the former Makabe castle town, with Yamato Town, established after the Meiji era, later joining in.
It came to be called the Gion Festival after the Taisho era, but accounts explain that no direct connection with Gion worship associated with the enshrined deity has been recognized.
Official information
The Ibaraki Prefecture traditional culture website provides an overview of the festival rites of Gosho Komataki Shrine, along with information about the dates, location, cultural property designation, and preservation group.
Festival rites of Gosho Komataki Shrine at a Glance
The festival rites of Gosho Komataki Shrine are a summer celebration in the Makabe area that has continued since the Edo period.
The mikoshi is carried in procession from the shrine to the town’s temporary resting place, while dashi from each town and local festival organizations support the event.
Published information differs on the dates, so visitors in 2026 should check the schedule.
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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