A day of floats and festival music bringing color to Mizusawa, with prayers for fire prevention
Hidaka Hibuse Festival
The 2026 edition of Hidaka Hibuse Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/04/25Ended
- Season / frequency
- Last Saturday in April / Every year
- Location
- Central Mizusawa, Oshu City (including Ote-dori, the area in front of Mizusawa Station, and the area in front of Maple)
- Area
- Iwate Prefecture・Oshu City(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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Hidaka Hibuse Festival features magnificent festival floats and Hidaka festival music parading through central Mizusawa, with prayers for fire prevention and the community’s safety. From evening into night, the floats gather near the station and elsewhere to give a powerful joint performance.
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Task taste File:はやし屋台.JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Task taste File:町印.JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Task taste File:はやし屋台見返り.JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.About Hidaka Hibuse Festival
The Hidaka Hibuse Festival is a fire-prevention festival that has been handed down in Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture.
Magnificent festival floats parade through the town, while the old-fashioned Hidaka festival music and performances by the yakudoshi groups bring color to central Mizusawa.
The festival as a whole is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Iwate Prefecture and continues as an event praying for the safety and prosperity of the community.
Source: 日高火防祭り - Wikipedia / 【番外編】新年！ご利益！奥州市の歴史が息づく神社特集【令和8年1月】／奥州市公式ホームページ
Festival highlights
The highlight is the magnificent festival floats sent out by each neighborhood group.
Decorated with karahafu gables, vermilion, gold and brightly colored carvings, , and artificial flowers, the floats move slowly through the town, with performers playing festival music along the route.
At night, all 9 floats perform together in front of Mizusawa Station, followed by a face-to-face performance in front of Maple.
Source: 日高火防祭（岩手県指定無形民俗文化財）／奥州市公式ホームページ
A day of floats and festival music bringing color to Mizusawa, with prayers for fire prevention
What to expect
On the day of the main festival, representatives of each neighborhood group pray for safety at Hidaka Shrine in the morning. The floats then begin their route after making rounds to greet local residents and taking part in a remote worship ceremony.
In the afternoon, with the fire brigade’s matoi standard bearers leading the way, floats from each neighborhood group parade through the old merchant district of Mizusawa.
From evening into night, the floats gather near the station and in front of Maple, and the festival concludes with a joint performance of Hidaka festival music followed by a face-to-face performance.
How to take part
The float procession, festival music, and performances by the yakudoshi groups are local events organized by neighborhood groups and festival participants.
The yakudoshi groups include men and women from Mizusawa, Oshu, who are reaching an unlucky age; the 25-year-old and 42-year-old groups perform.
一般の来場者は沿道や各会場で祭りを観覧できます。
Location and access
- Venue and address
Central Mizusawa, Oshu City.
The remote worship ceremony is held on Ote-dori. The floats travel through areas including Yoshikoji, Otemachi, Kawaguchicho, Tatemachi, Yanagimachi, Omachi, Yokomachi, Fukuromachi, and Nakamachi. They perform together in front of Mizusawa Station and stage a musical face-off in front of Maple.
- Train and bus
Mizusawa Station is one of the venues.
On festival day, traffic restrictions in central Mizusawa will divert some local bus routes, and bus stops will also be changed.
- By car
Extensive traffic restrictions are in place in the city center on festival day, and there may be times when driving through is difficult.
Please take a route around the city center.
Event venue 岩手県奥州市 奥州市水沢市街地
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed event dates have passed)
The main festival was held on April 25 (Saturday) in 2026.
A remote worship ceremony takes place on Ote-dori at 1:30 p.m., and the floats set off at 1:45 p.m. They parade through central Mizusawa in the afternoon.
A joint performance took place in front of Mizusawa Station at 7:20 p.m., followed by a face-to-face performance in front of Maple at 8 p.m.
No eve-of-festival events were scheduled for 2026.
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 Iwate Prefecture / Oshu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The floats travel widely throughout central Mizusawa, so it’s a good idea to allow time to move between spots to catch the scenes you want to see.
In 2026, the performance by all the floats together in front of Mizusawa Station was scheduled for 7:20 p.m., and the musical face-off in front of Maple for 8 p.m.
Traffic restrictions will be in place on festival day, and local bus routes and stops will also be changed, so allow plenty of time if traveling by car or bus.
Nearby attractions
Hidaka Shrine, closely associated with the festival, is located at 13 Hidakoji, Mizusawa, Oshu City.
The Oshu City Firefighting Memorial Museum is on the and is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the day of the Hidaka Hibuse Festival.
Inside, visitors can see a seated statue of Sasaki Sagohei, considered the founder of Mizusawa’s town fire brigade, paintings of past fire-prevention festivals, and firefighting machinery and equipment.
Source: 奥州市消防記念館／奥州市公式ホームページ
えさし藤原の郷
岩手県奥州市江刺にある平安時代のテーマパーク
写真：Kano / Public domain(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
奥州市牛の博物館
岩手県奥州市前沢にある博物館
写真：Okayamakunio / CC BY 3.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
胆沢城
岩手県奥州市にあった古代城柵
写真：Saigen Jiro / CC0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
菊田一夫記念館
岩手県奥州市にある資料館
写真：Ty19080914 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
駒形神社
岩手県奥州市にある神社
写真：Saigen Jiro / CC0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Hidaka Hibuse Festival
No records showing the origin of the Hidaka Hibuse Festival remain. One theory is that the lord of Mizusawa Castle began a festival to pray for fire prevention; another is that it originated as a commemorative event for a volunteer fire brigade established after a major fire in 1735.
Records show that during the Edo period it was held on the 22nd day of the New Year as an annual event of the Mizusawa Date clan.
From the Meiji period onward, the floats grew larger and the neighborhoods competed with one another, eventually developing into today’s festival centered on music floats.
Official information
The Oshu City official website’s “Hidaka Hibuse Festival (Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Iwate Prefecture)” provides information on the event date, float schedule, traffic restrictions, and bus detours.
Hidaka Hibuse Festival at a Glance
The Hidaka Hibuse Festival is a fire-prevention festival in which splendid festival floats parade through Mizusawa, sharing Hidaka festival music and the community’s prayers.
The main festival took place on April 25 in 2026, and the all-9-float joint performance returned to the area in front of Mizusawa Station.
From the afternoon float procession to the evening joint and face-to-face performances, you can enjoy the festival’s changing atmosphere at different times of day.
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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