A New Year’s prayer, brought to life by the Horai-bune and the brave young people rowing up the Katsura River
Horan Enya (Oita Prefecture)
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Early January each year / Every year
- Location
- Near the mouth of the Katsura River
- Area
- Oita Prefecture・Bungotakada City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 35 min–1 h 55 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A New Year’s festival on the Katsura River in Bungotakada City, where the Horai-bune and local young people pray for a good catch and safe voyages. Dramatic scenes unique to an event on the water unfold, including red-and-white rice cakes and people plunging into the river.
About Horan Enya (Oita Prefecture)
Horan Enya is a traditional New Year’s event held on the Katsura River, which flows through Bungotakada City, Oita Prefecture.
Participants pray for a good catch and safe voyages as they row the Horai-bune, decorated with flags bearing auspicious symbols and other adornments, upriver.
It has been designated a Prefectural Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property and has been passed down as a festival linked to the region’s river transport and maritime livelihoods.
Source: ホーランエンヤ | 日本一の「おんせん県」大分県の観光情報公式サイト / ホーランエンヤ - WEBロケハン - 豊後高田市ホームページ
Festival highlights
Highlights include the Horai-bune decorated with colorful fishing flags and streamers, and young people in traditional loincloths rowing upriver.
Red-and-white rice cakes are tossed to spectators from the boat. When offerings of money and other offerings are handed over from the riverbank, the young people plunge into the freezing Katsura River to receive them.
The calls of the rowers and the action on the water combine to bring the festival’s bold spirit up close.
Source: ホーランエンヤ (大分県) - Wikipedia
A New Year’s prayer, brought to life by the Horai-bune and the brave young people rowing up the Katsura River
What to expect
The Horai-bune departs from near the mouth of the Katsura River and heads to Kotohira-gu Shrine downstream to offer rice cakes, then makes for Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine upstream.
The rowers move the boat with the incoming tide, calling out, “Horan Enya Enya sa no sassa.”
Rice cakes are tossed from the boat, followed by scenes of young people jumping into the river to receive offerings of money and other items.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Near the mouth of the Katsura River (Tamatsu to Mitama, Bungotakada City, Oita Prefecture)
- Train and bus
10 minutes by bus from JR Usa Station; get off at Bungotakada, then walk 5 minutes
- By car
25 km, 25 minutes via National Routes 10 and 213 from Usa IC on the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway
- Parking
Available / 500 spaces / free
Source: ホーランエンヤ（大分県／豊後高田市）｜開催期間・アクセス｜るるぶ&more.
Address Tamatsu to Mitama, Bungotakada City, Oita Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Early January each year
- Frequency
Every year
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 Oita Prefecture / Bungotakada City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Nearby attractions listed include Showa no Machi, Usa Jingu, and the Oita Prefectural Museum of History.
They are all featured in Oita Prefecture’s tourism information as places to visit alongside Hōran Enya.
You can explore a combination of festival-related places and sites connected to the region’s history and culture.
Origins and History of Horan Enya (Oita Prefecture)
Horan Enya is said to have begun in the mid-Edo period.
At that time, rice paid as tax was transported by cargo ships from the Bungotakada area to the Shimabara domain and its storehouses in Osaka. The event is said to have originated as a way to pray for safe voyages and a good catch.
It continues today as a traditional New Year’s event and has been designated a Prefectural Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Official information
The Bungotakada City website is listed as the official source for event information.
For inquiries, contact the Bungotakada City Commerce and Tourism Division.
Event times and details may change, so check the latest information before setting out.
Horan Enya (Oita Prefecture) at a Glance
Horan Enya is a New Year’s festival on the Katsura River in Bungotakada City, where participants row the Horai-bune upriver and pray for a good catch and safe voyages.
Highlights include the boat adorned with fishing flags, the rowers’ calls, red-and-white rice cakes, and young people plunging into the river.
An event listing was available for January 4 in 2026, but the published information on the boat’s departure time differs.
Source: Horan Enya｜Events｜Visit Oita - The Official Tourism Website of Oita,Kyushu,Japan
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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