A ritual passed down in Higashino, with a decorated horse and harvest song touring the town
Higashino Shrine Ritual: Yohōhoi Festival
The 2026 edition of Higashino Shrine Ritual: Yohōhoi Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/10/12Ended
- Season / frequency
- Sports Day (the October February Monday)
- Location
- Higashino Shrine
- Area
- Aichi Prefecture・Konan City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 40 min–2 h · 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
This is a ritual held as part of the grand festival of Higashino Shrine. A decorated horse carrying a karako doll and a procession tour the neighborhood, and the ritual includes the dedication of “Yohōhoi Song,” a song celebrating a bountiful harvest.
About Higashino Shrine Ritual: Yohōhoi Festival
The Higashino Shrine ritual, Yohōhoi Festival, is one of the rituals held during the grand festival at Higashino Shrine in Higashinocho, Konan City.
A karako doll is placed on a decorated horse, and people responsible for the annual festival observance form a procession in front of and behind it as it tours the neighborhood.
The heart of the festival is the sight of participants wearing woven sedge hats, holding fans to their mouths, and singing and dedicating “Yohōhoi Song,” a song celebrating a bountiful harvest.
In Heisei 23, it was designated an intangible cultural property.
Festival highlights
Highlights include a decorated horse carrying a karako doll and the procession around it.
People responsible for the annual festival observance wear woven sedge hats and sing “Yohōhoi Song” while holding fans to their mouths.
The song is dedicated in celebration of a bountiful harvest, and the way the horse and procession move through the neighborhood gives this ritual its distinctive character.
The procession and song today are carried on through local preservation efforts.
A ritual passed down in Higashino, with a decorated horse and harvest song touring the town
What to expect
During the ritual, a karako doll is placed on a decorated horse, and people responsible for the annual festival observance form a procession in front of and behind the horse.
The procession participants wear woven sedge hats, hold fans to their mouths, and sing and dedicate “Yohōhoi Song,” a song celebrating a bountiful harvest.
The horse and procession are led through the neighborhood as part of a ritual in the grand festival at Higashino Shrine.
The form that had once been suspended due to traffic conditions was revived in Heisei 21 as a dedication of the song and procession.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Higashino Shrine (Kawara, Higashinocho, Konan City)
Address 68 Kawara, Higashinocho, Konan City, Aichi Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 Festival Information (the listed dates have passed)
In 2026, it was held on October 12 (Monday).
In most years, it takes place at Higashino Shrine on Sports Day (the October February Monday).
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 Aichi Prefecture / Konan City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Origins and History of Higashino Shrine Ritual: Yohōhoi Festival
The festival’s origins are unclear, but it is said to have begun when villagers gathered tribute rice for Ise Jingu in Higashino Village in a year of abundant harvests. As they loaded it onto packhorses to send it off, the villagers sang a song celebrating the good harvest.
The festival is said to date back to the time when Himu Heinosuke, a from Tsushima, lived in Higashino as its local lord during the Tenbun era (1532–1555).
Due to traffic conditions, the dedication involving the horse and procession was suspended around Showa 47, and the song and procession were revived in Heisei 21.
Official information
Konan City Official Website: “Higashino Shrine Ritual: Yohōhoi Festival”
Higashino Shrine Ritual: Yohōhoi Festival at a Glance
The Higashino Shrine ritual, Yohōhoi Festival, is a ritual held as part of the grand festival at Higashino Shrine in Higashinocho, Konan City.
A decorated horse carrying a karako doll is led through the neighborhood, while people responsible for the annual festival observance form a procession and dedicate “Yohōhoi Song.”
The festival is said to originate in a story about a harvest-celebration song and tribute rice for Ise Jingu. The horse and procession, once suspended due to traffic conditions, were revived in Heisei 21.
In 2026, it was held on October 12.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
