A Takamatsu festival featuring a procession in costumes made from everyday items and a mikoshi entering Shiniike
Hyōge Matsuri
The 2026 edition of Hyōge Matsuri has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/09/13Ended
- Season / frequency
- The 2nd Sunday of September every year / Every year
- Location
- Shiniike (Kawauchiwara Shiniike)
- Area
- Kagawa Prefecture・Takamatsu City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 15 min–1 h 35 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
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Passed down in the Asano area of Takamatsu, Hyōge Matsuri is a distinctive festival in which a procession with ritual implements made from crops and everyday items, along with costumes, heads toward Shiniike.
About Hyōge Matsuri
Hyōge Matsuri is a festival associated with Shiniike Shrine in Asano, Kagawa-cho, Takamatsu, and centers on a procession.
The festival began as an event commemorating the achievements of Yanonobe Heiroku, who built Shiniike for a community struggling with water shortages, and celebrating a good harvest while giving thanks for the blessings of water.
In the Sanuki dialect, “hyōgeru” means to clown around or be comical.
The festival itself is designated as an intangible folk cultural property by Takamatsu City.
Source: ひょうげ祭り｜高松市
Festival highlights
Highlights include ritual implements made from crops and household items, and costumes fashioned from materials close at hand.
The attendants wear outfits made from feed sacks, topknots made from palm fiber, and swords made from taro stems and pumpkin, and join the procession with vivid makeup.
When the procession reaches Shiniike, prayers and an arrow shot to ward off evil are followed by the mikoshi being thrown into the pond. The resulting splash is one of the festival’s great highlights.
Source: ひょうげ祭り｜香川県
A Takamatsu festival featuring a procession in costumes made from everyday items and a mikoshi entering Shiniike
What to expect
During the festival, a procession in costume advances from Ikemiya Shrine to Shiniike, beating drums as it goes.
Young men carrying the mikoshi and attendants dressed as samurai parade along a route of about 2 kilometers, clowning around and carrying ritual implements made from farming tools and everyday items.
At the embankment of Shiniike, a priest recites prayers. After a ritual in which an arrow is shot, the mikoshi enters the pond, bringing the main festival to a close.
A is also performed as an offering at the eve-of-festival celebration.
Source: 新池神社のひょうげ祭（高松市）｜香川県
How to take part
Visitors can watch the event.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Shiniike (Kawauchiwara Shiniike, Kagawa-cho), Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture.
The procession travels from the Asano District Community Training Center to Shiniike.
- Train and bus
Take the Kotoden Bus on the Shionoe Line from JR Takamatsu Station, get off at “Ryuman Pond,” then walk about 20 minutes.
- By car
About 25 minutes from Takamatsu-Chuo IC.
- Parking
There is parking for 100 cars at the grounds of Kawahigashi Municipal Elementary School in Takamatsu. It is about a 10-minute walk to the venue, or about 5 minutes by shuttle bus.
Source: ひょうげ祭り(香川県)の詳細データ｜ウォーカープラス
Address Shiniike, Kawauchiwara, Kagawa-cho, Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
In 2026, it was held on September 13 (Sunday), with event hours listed as 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
It is held on the 2nd Sunday of September each year.
The festival is described as an event lasting about 3 hours, with offerings such as a lion dance taking place at the eve-of-festival celebration.
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 Kagawa Prefecture / Takamatsu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
ジョージナカシマ記念館
香川県高松市にある記念館
四国村
香川県高松市にある博物館
四国村ギャラリー
香川県高松市の四国村にある美術館
新屋島水族館
香川県高松市にある水族館
栗林公園
香川県高松市にある日本庭園
瀬戸内海歴史民俗資料館
香川県高松市の五色台山上にある博物館
田村神社
香川県高松市にある神社
香川県立ミュージアム
香川県高松市にある博物館
高松城
香川県高松市の城
高松市美術館
香川県高松市に所在する日本の美術館
高松港玉藻防波堤灯台
香川県高松市にある灯台
Origins and History of Hyōge Matsuri
Hyōge Matsuri is said to have begun as a festival commemorating the achievements of Yanonobe Heiroku, a low-ranking samurai of the Takamatsu Domain during the Edo period who built Shiniike.
The farmers of Asano praised Heiroku’s work and have carried on the festival as an event to pray for the blessings of water and a good harvest.
Since it was held on day 3 of lunar month 8, the timing has shifted to generally being held on the 2nd Sunday of September.
In Showa 61, it became a Takamatsu City-designated intangible folk cultural property.
Official information
Takamatsu City introduces Hyōge Matsuri as a city-designated intangible folk cultural property.
The Kagawa Prefectural Museum also provides information on its location, festival date, and distinctive ritual implements as the Hyōge Festival of Shiniike Shrine.
Related websites for the Asano Community Center are also listed for event information.
Hyōge Matsuri at a Glance
Hyōge Matsuri is a festival passed down in the Asano area of Takamatsu, associated with Yanonobe Heiroku and Shiniike.
It is known for a procession of about 2 kilometers featuring ritual implements made from crops and everyday items, distinctive costumes, and drums.
Toward the end, a striking ritual takes place in which the mikoshi enters Shiniike.
In 2026, it was held on September 13, at Shiniike.
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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