A traditional autumn festival in Obama, alive with diverse performances winding through the town
Hozensai Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year, on the Saturday and Sunday immediately before Respect for the Aged Day in September / Once a year
- Location
- The urban area of Obama, centered around Hachiman
- Area
- Fukui Prefecture・Obama City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 50 min–3 h 20 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.
- Highlights and activities
- Participation / viewing
- Open to public participation / spectators welcome
- Participation fee
- Special experiences include individual plans for 3,300 yen or 5,000 yen, and family plans for 5,500 yen or 13,200 yen.
- Age restrictions
- The family plan includes elementary school students; preschool children can participate for free.
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A traditional autumn festival set in the town of Obama, featuring , , , shishi, and passed down by each district.
About Hozensai Festival
The Hozensai Festival is a regular festival held at Hachiman Shrine in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture.
The 24 districts of the former Obama town pass down performances featuring dashi, large drums, kagura, , and mikoshi, with 12 districts taking part each alternate year.
This locally rooted autumn festival sees performances move through the town and arts and music offered at each district’s honjin and local homes.
The festival is also designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Fukui Prefecture.
Source: 放生祭 | 小浜市公式ホームページ
Festival highlights
A highlight is the variety of performances, with each district presenting a different style of festival arts.
During the large-drum performances, stick dancers perform to the thunderous music; in the lion dances, 3 lions dance to flutes and singing.
Music played on drums and flutes rings out from the roofed, two-story dashi, and at Hachiman Shrine visitors can see each performance enter the and make its offering.
The “lion” performance as dashi pass one another is another moment that showcases the skill and character of each district.
Source: 若狭地方最大の秋祭り【小浜放生祭】 | 【小浜市公式】御食国若狭おばま観光サイト ｜ まるっとおばま
A traditional autumn festival in Obama, alive with diverse performances winding through the town
What to expect
During the festival, performances from each district make their way along their own routes, presenting arts and music in front of each district’s honjin and local homes.
At Hachiman Shrine, the performances enter the shrine grounds, and dashi, kagura, large drums, and other acts are offered in succession.
Another highlight is the joint performance, where performances from the participating districts gather near Machi no Eki and Asahiza.
Before the festival, each district holds practice sessions and full rehearsals. In some cases, visitors can watch people practicing the flute and drums.
How to take part
Usually, visitors watch the festival performances presented by the town’s districts. For 2026, special hands-on plans for the general public have been announced.
In addition to plans for watching the festival from a traditional merchant house, there are also plans to join the procession as a dashi puller.
A dashi-pulling experience plan is available for families, including children.
Advance registration is required to take part.
The 2026 special experiences include a rest-house viewing plan, where you can watch from a traditional townhouse, and a plan that lets you try pulling a dashi.
The dashi-pulling experience is held only on September 20. Participants are asked to gather at 8:30 a.m., and the experience is scheduled to begin around 9 a.m.
The family plan includes elementary school students, and preschool children can participate for free.
Detailed information will be sent by email after you apply.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The festival takes place in central Obama City, with Hachiman Shrine at its heart.
Hachiman Shrine is located at 10 Obama Otokoyama, Obama City, Fukui Prefecture.
- By car
Some streets in the city are closed to traffic.
- Parking
Paid parking is available at Obama Municipal Ote No. 1 Parking Lot, Obama Municipal Hiromine Parking Lot, Obama Municipal Station Front Parking Lot, and Ekidori Parking. Free parking is listed at Ningyo-no-Hama East Parking Lot, Obama Fishing Port, Obama Park Parking Lot, and Ningyo-no-Hama West Parking Lot.
Source: 放生祭 - Wikipedia / よくあるご質問 アーカイブ | 小浜放生祭
Address 10 Obama Otokoyama, Obama City, Fukui Prefecture
Dates and season
The Hozensai Festival is held every September on the Saturday and Sunday immediately before Respect for the Aged Day.
For 2026, shrine-entry schedules and special hands-on plans have been announced as preparations for the festival continue.
The festival takes place over 2 days, Saturday and Sunday, but the shrine-entry times for each performance may change.
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 Fukui Prefecture / Obama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
Performances move between locations around town, so allow plenty of time if you plan to visit several spots.
Shrine-entry times may change without notice.
Some performances may be changed in the event of rain, but the festival is scheduled to go ahead.
The festival may be canceled in the event of severe weather or a natural disaster, so check the announcements on the day.
Nearby attractions
Machi no Eki and the area near Asahiza are listed as places where festival performances gather.
Hachiman Shrine is the festival’s central venue, where each performance enters the shrine grounds and makes its offering.
There are also plans to watch the festival from a traditional merchant house, allowing visitors to enjoy the townscape and performances together.
These locations are introduced only insofar as they are connected with festival events.
山川登美子記念館
福井県小浜市にある文学館
御食国若狭おばま食文化館
福井県小浜市にある博物館
福井県立若狭歴史博物館
福井県小浜市にある博物館
Origins and History of Hozensai Festival
The exact origins of the Hozensai Festival are unclear, but it is said to have continued as a festival since the Edo period.
The custom of townspeople in Obama accompanying the Gion Festival at Hiromine Shrine with performances is considered the forerunner of today’s Hozensai Festival.
From the Meiji period onward, performances began to be presented at the regular festival of Hachiman Shrine, and the town’s district divisions and the way the festival was organized also changed.
From the late Taisho period onward, to reduce the burden, the 24 districts began presenting their performances in alternating years, with half participating each year.
Official information
For the event outline, shrine-entry schedule, highlights, and transportation information, see the official Hozensai Festival in Obama website.
Information about the festival’s origins and its performances is also available on the Obama City official website and the official Obama tourism website.
Hozensai Festival at a Glance
The Hozensai Festival is an autumn festival centered on Hachiman Shrine in Obama City, where the festival arts passed down by 24 districts are performed throughout the town.
Dashi, large drums, kagura, lion dances, and mikoshi parade with their own distinctive sounds and movements, while the shrine-entry ceremonies and joint performances bring a sense of unity to the festival.
Visitor plans for watching the festival and trying dashi-pulling have also been announced for 2026.
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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