Imajuku Kamimachi Tenmangu Oni-sube

A New Year’s tsuina ritual passed down at Kamimachi Tenmangu Shrine in Imajuku, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City. It drives away demons and prays for a year of good health and safety. Demons with straw horns and young men go around the neighborhood, with oshioi collection and the oni-oshi taking place on the coast.

About Imajuku Kamimachi Tenmangu Oni-sube

The Imajuku Kamimachi Tenmangu Oni-sube is a New Year’s tsuina festival held at Kamimachi Tenmangu Shrine and around the neighborhood in Imajuku, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City.

The event is said to ward off evil spirits and disease and to pray for a year of good health and safety. It has been organized by the Kamimachi neighborhood association, whose members are parishioners of Kamimachi Tenmangu Shrine.

It has been passed down in the community as an intangible folk cultural property.

Source: 今宿上町天満宮鬼すべ行事 | 文化財情報検索 | 福岡市の文化財

Festival highlights

A major highlight is the “Oni-oshi,” in which demons wearing straw horns and sashes struggle against young men trying to hold them back.

The procession heads to the coast to the sound of bells and drums, where participants collect oshioi.

After going around the neighborhood, the procession returns to the , where the demons are driven into the oni-gura amid fire and smoke in a distinctive part of the event.

Source: 福岡市今宿上町天満宮の鬼すべ

Imajuku’s New Year’s event, where demons and young men struggle as they go around the town

What to expect

The procession forms in order with tall lanterns, demon masks, , demons, a nagamochi, drums, bells, handbells, and oshioi buckets, and children join in.

Participants collect oshioi on the coast. At reception points around the neighborhood, the oni-oshi, New Year’s greetings, purification with gohei, and the scattering of oshioi take place.

The event ends inside the oni-gura on the shrine grounds, where “Iwai Medeta” is sung.

How to take part

The event is primarily organized by the Kamimachi neighborhood association, whose members are parishioners of Kamimachi Tenmangu Shrine, and children also join the procession.

At reception points around the neighborhood, children carrying gohei perform purification and scatter oshioi, while children carrying the nagamochi call out as well.

地域の行事としての参加の仕組みは確認できます。

Location and access

Venue and address: The Kamimachi neighborhood, centered around the grounds of Kamimachi Tenmangu Shrine (3-14-43 Imajuku, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Train and bus: It is listed as a 7-minute walk from Imajuku Station on the JR Chikuhi Line.

Source: 21、上町天満宮《福岡県福岡市》 - せいたかとんぼの木うそ紀行

Address 3-14-43 Imajuku, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture

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Dates and season

Season: Every year on the New Year’s 7th day
Frequency: Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

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 Fukuoka Prefecture / Fukuoka City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)

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Tips for your visit

The event proceeds not only on the grounds of Kamimachi Tenmangu Shrine but also along the coast, through the Kamimachi neighborhood, and at reception points.

Since the event includes the oni-oshi and scenes with smoke from burning pine, it is important to watch from a place that does not obstruct the event.

If you follow the procession from the coast through the neighborhood to the shrine grounds, please follow directions from local residents and the event organizers.

Nearby attractions

Near the venue are sites introduced as nearby cultural properties in Fukuoka City’s cultural property information, including the Menbaru Tile Kiln Site, the Imajuku Goroe Site, and the Imajuku Kofungun.

The Imajuku Kofungun includes Otsuka Kofun, Yamanohana No. 1 Kofun, and Wak八幡 Shrine Kofun.

Please check the distance, walking time, and opening status of each facility in relation to the festival venue individually.

観光名所の汎用イラスト（AI生成・実際の施設ではありません） — Illustration for reference

福岡市中央区の大濠公園にある美術館

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Photo and data sources

写真：Masgatotkaca / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Facility data source

Origins and History of Imajuku Kamimachi Tenmangu Oni-sube

The exact date when the event began is unclear, but local tradition says it started when Tenmangu Shrine was established here from Dazaifu, modeled on Dazaifu’s Oni-sube ritual.

Many of the implements used bear ink inscriptions indicating that they were newly made for the “Centennial Festival” in 1934.

Based on this, it is believed that the shrine was established or the event began around 1835.

Official information

The official Nishi Ward page of Fukuoka City introduces the event as “Oni-sube at Imajuku Kamimachi Tenmangu Shrine,” with details of the New Year’s 7th-day event and information about the area around the location.

Fukuoka City’s cultural property information search describes the event’s origins and proceedings as a city-designated intangible folk cultural property.