Hamaide Festival

Hamaide Festival, held in Hohoku Town, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is a folk festival held once every 7 years, in which a and procession travel from Tago Shrine, through Horikiri, to Doigahama. Rituals bringing together communities from the mountains and the coast, as well as ceremonies performed by three groups that preserve ancient traditions, are passed down.

About Hamaide Festival

Hamaide Festival is a periodic festival in which deities associated with Tago Shrine on the mountain side and the Kodama district on the sea side meet and make their way toward Doigahama.

The festival unfolds at Tago Shrine, Horikiri, and Doigahama, with a procession accompanied by a mikoshi, rites at Hamadono, and ceremonies performed by three groups.

One tradition describes it as a rite marking the reunion of a male and a female deity; it is also described as a festival praying for regional prosperity and order, and abundant harvests.

It is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property designated by Yamaguchi Prefecture, passed down through the cooperation of communities in the mountains and along the coast.

Source: 山口県/観光スポーツ文化部文化振興課/文化財・山口県の文化財

Festival highlights

A highlight is the meeting ritual at Horikiri, where three processions, including those from Tago and Kodama, gather and exchange formal speeches.

Processions in traditional costumes make their way through the area, followed at the Doigahama festival grounds by ceremonies performed by the three groups: Shinkan-za, Namihara-za, and Okabayashi-za.

You can watch a sequence of distinctive rituals, including formal speeches and sword handling, a miko dance, three offerings of sacred sake, the hikime ritual, and the cutting of a yellowtail.

Source: 市報しものせき 2018年4月号テキスト版 - 下関市

An ancient festival passed down in Hohoku, where deities from the mountains and the coast meet

What to expect

On the day of the festival, processions set out from Tago Shrine and Jingu Kogo Shrine, and three processions join at Horikiri.

At the encampment, both sides perform formal speech rituals. After a ceremonial sake barrel is broken open, the procession forms up and proceeds to the Doigahama festival grounds.

Upon arrival, rites, ceremonies by the three groups, the yellowtail-cutting ritual, the placing of the meal, and a communal feast are held, and the festival concludes with the transfer of the deity.

In the yellowtail-cutting ritual, an ancient method is preserved in which the fish is cut with iron chopsticks and a knife, without using the hands.

How to take part

Local residents from areas including Tago and Kodama take on the central roles in the procession and ceremonies.

There are many roles, including the hana-miko, yamabushi, musicians, and the person who cuts the yellowtail. Preparation begins about 1 year before the festival, with role assignments, checks of costumes and equipment, and ritual practice.

However, no information is provided about whether general visitors can take on festival roles or whether there is an opportunity to participate on the day.

Visitors can watch the procession and rituals.

Location and access

Venue and address

The festival takes place across the area from Tago Shrine, through Horikiri, to the Doigahama festival grounds.

The Doigahama festival grounds are the plaza beside the Doigahama Site and Anthropological Museum, and Horikiri is on the grounds of the JA Shimonoseki Hohoku Facilities Complex.

It is located in Hohoku Town, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Source: 浜出祭｜観光スポット｜【公式】山口県観光/旅行サイトおいでませ山口へ

Address Hohoku Town, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture

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Dates and season

Season: Once every 7 years, around April
Frequency: Once every 7 years

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 Yamaguchi Prefecture / Shimonoseki City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)

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Tips for your visit

Since the procession moves between several locations, you may want to choose whether to visit Horikiri to see the meeting ritual or the Doigahama festival grounds to see the ceremonies performed by the three groups.

山口県下関市にある式内社

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Photo and data sources

写真：Fraxinus2 / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Origins and History of Hamaide Festival

Traditions about the origins of Hamaide Festival include accounts that it was held to pray for victory against the Mongol invasions and other enemies, to console those killed in battle, or to quell epidemics, but its origins are not definitively established.

In local tradition, it has also been described as a rite celebrating the reunion of a male and a female deity associated with Itsukushima Shrine on the mountain side and Ebisu Shrine on the sea side, and the unity of the mountains and the coast.

During the Edo period, it is said to have been a large-scale procession involving warriors from several villages.

The oldest known written record is a festival document from Kyoho 9, and an agreement in Taisho 9 set the festival date as April 15.

Official information

Hamaide Festival is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property designated by Yamaguchi Prefecture, and its preservation association is the Hamaide Festival Cultural Property Preservation Association.

Details about the venue and an overview of the festival can be found in the festival introduction on Yamaguchi Prefecture's tourism website.

The Doigahama Site and Anthropological Museum in Shimonoseki also provides information about related materials and lists a phone number for inquiries.

Source: 浜出祭関連資料（リーフレット・冊子）のご案内 - 下関市