A large torch lighting the way in gratitude for water; prayers from Hakanoki moving along the night road
Hakanoki Torch Festival
The 2026 edition of Hakanoki Torch Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/10/10Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year, the second Saturday of October / Every year
- Location
- From Hakanoki Shinmei Shrine to Suijin Shrine
- Area
- Toyama Prefecture・Nyuzen Town(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 10 min–2 h 40 min · bullet 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.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
The Hakanoki Torch Festival carries on the memory of torches being transported after a Kurobe River flood. It is a ceremony to give thanks for water and pray for a good harvest and well-being. The large and small torches head toward Suijin Shrine to the rice-planting song.
About Hakanoki Torch Festival
The Hakanoki Torch Festival is a festival handed down in the Hakanoki district of Nyuzen, Toyama Prefecture.
It is said to have begun on the night of embankment repairs after a Kurobe River flood, when villagers made torches and carried them to the work site.
Today, it is carried on as a ceremony to give thanks to the water deity and pray for a good harvest and well-being.
It was designated an intangible folk cultural property of the town in Showa 52, April 1.
Festival highlights
The highlight is a procession of large and small torches traveling about 800 meters along the night road.
The large torch is made with a core of bundled bamboo, covered with straw and bound with rope. It is said to be about 5 meters tall, about 1.2 meters in diameter, and to weigh about 200 kilograms.
Ahead of it, children carry smaller torches from Shinmei Shrine to Suijin Shrine to the rice-planting song.
At Suijin Shrine, the torches are burned, and people worship.
A large torch lighting the way in gratitude for water; prayers from Hakanoki moving along the night road
What to expect
For the festival, a large torch is prepared with a bamboo bundle for its core, wrapped in straw.
After lighting the torches at Shinmei Shrine, people carry the large torch and the children’s smaller torches to the rice-planting song.
The procession travels about 800 meters from Shinmei Shrine to Suijin Shrine.
On reaching Suijin Shrine, the torches are burned, and the festival concludes with worship.
Location and access
- Venue and address
From Hakanoki Shinmei Shrine to Suijin Shrine (about 800 meters) / Hakanoki district, Nyuzen, Shimoniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture
Address Hakanoki district, Nyuzen, Shimoniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed date has passed)
The 2026 event is scheduled for October 10 (Saturday).
The torches are lit at 6:30 p.m., and the procession departs Shinmei Shrine at 7 p.m.
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 Toyama Prefecture / Nyuzen Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
下山芸術の森発電所美術館
富山県下新川郡入善町にある公立美術館
写真：photo: Qurren ( talk ) Taken with Canon IXY 10S / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·Origins and History of Hakanoki Torch Festival
The festival is said to have originated about 250 years ago, when a major flood of the Kurobe River caused the Nakanokuchi embankment to collapse, and villagers carried torches through the night to the embankment repair work.
Since that night was October 9, the torch festival has been held that night ever since.
After the new Nyuzen Town was established, the festival was moved to around October 13, and became a ceremony to give thanks to the water deity and pray for a good harvest and well-being.
It was designated an intangible folk cultural property in Showa 52.
Official information
Inquiries are handled by the Cultural Affairs Section of the Nyuzen Town Board of Education Secretariat.
The phone number is 0765-72-3858.
Hakanoki Torch Festival at a Glance
The Hakanoki Torch Festival is an intangible folk cultural property of the Hakanoki district of Nyuzen Town, originating in the transportation of torches for embankment repairs after a flood.
The large and small torches travel about 800 meters from Shinmei Shrine to Suijin Shrine to the rice-planting song.
The torches are burned at Suijin Shrine, where prayers are offered in gratitude for water and for a good harvest and well-being.
For 2026, the event is scheduled for October 10, with the torches lit at 6:30 p.m. and the procession departing at 7 p.m.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
