Yamato’s Hassaku Festival: ozukurimono made from wild plants parade through town as people pray for a bountiful harvest
Hassaku Festival
The 2026 edition of Hassaku Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/09/05 〜 2026/09/06Ended
- Season / frequency
- The first Saturday and Sunday of September / Every year
- Location
- Hamamachi Shopping Street area
- Area
- Kumamoto Prefecture・Yamato Town(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 50 min–2 h 10 min · flight time only)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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
The Hassaku Festival, a celebration praying for a bountiful harvest, continues in Hamamachi Shopping Street in Yamato Town. The parade of ozukurimono made from wild plants is one of the festival’s main highlights.
About Hassaku Festival
The Hassaku Festival is a traditional festival held around Hamamachi Shopping Street in Yamato Town, Kumamoto Prefecture.
It originated as a festival held on day 1 of lunar month 8 and is now held on the first Saturday and Sunday of September.
Prayers are offered for a bountiful harvest and a good year, and the festival also carries on the tradition of townspeople in Hamamachi caring for and welcoming nearby farmers.
Festival highlights
The biggest highlight is the giant ozukurimono made by each shopping district in Hamamachi from plants that grow wild in the surrounding countryside.
The largest examples reach about 5 m high and about 7 m long. Each alliance group secretly creates one around a theme expressing social satire or the hopes of ordinary people, then parades it on the day of the festival.
The harvest-prayer festival at the shrine and the of Nanaune Inari also add to the festivities.
Yamato’s Hassaku Festival: ozukurimono made from wild plants parade through town as people pray for a bountiful harvest
What to expect
The festival begins with the Friday-night “Asa-okoshi” and continues over both Saturday and Sunday.
A harvest-prayer festival is held at Koichiryo Shrine, and giant ozukurimono are paraded through the shopping districts of Hamamachi.
After the festival, each shopping district also holds a celebration called “Kitsune-banashi.”
Location and access
- Venue and address
Hamamachi Shopping Street area, Yamato Town
- Train and bus
Take a Kumamoto Bus from Kumamoto Kotsu Center toward Umamihara or Yabe, and get off at Hamamachi Eigyosho
- By car
Via Prefectural Routes 206, 28 and 57, and the Kyushu Chuo Expressway
- Parking
1,700 spaces at temporary parking areas around the festival venue
Address Hamamachi Shopping Street area, Yamato Town, Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the dates listed have passed)
It is announced as taking place on September 5, 2026 (Saturday) and the 6th (Sunday).
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 Kumamoto Prefecture / Yamato Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The 2026 event information warns that severe heat is expected on the festival day and advises visitors to regularly replenish fluids and salt and take appropriate breaks.
Visitors are advised to stay away if they are feeling unwell.
Origins and History of Hassaku Festival
The Hassaku Festival carries on a festival once held on day 1 of lunar month 8 as an event on the first Saturday and Sunday of September today.
It is said to have begun when merchants sought to console farmers after repeated poor harvests, and it has been passed down as a festival led by the townspeople.
Through the parade of ozukurimono and prayers for a good harvest, the festival has expressed the bond between farming and the local community.
Official information
Yamato Town Chamber of Commerce, “About the Yabe ‘Hassaku Festival’”
問い合わせ：山都町八朔祭実行委員会（山都町役場商工観光課、山都町商工会）
Hassaku Festival at a Glance
Yamato Town’s Hassaku Festival is a traditional festival celebrating the hope for a bountiful harvest and a good year.
Set in Hamamachi Shopping Street, each shopping district parades a giant ozukurimono made from wild plants, while a harvest-prayer festival is held at the shrine.
It carries on the tradition of the festival held according to the old lunar calendar, preserving its significance in connecting townspeople and farmers.
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
