Imao’s fire festival, where bamboo mikoshi from 13 neighborhoods offer flames and sound
Imao Sagicho
The 2026 edition of Imao Sagicho has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/02/08Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year, on the second Sunday of February / Every year
- Location
- Grounds of Akiba Shrine (Imao Shrine’s )
- Area
- Gifu Prefecture・Kaizu City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h–2 h 30 min · bullet train + connecting 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Required number of participants
- Approximately 30–40 people (the number introduced as carrying the bamboo )
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Imao Sagicho, a tradition passed down in Imao, Hirata-cho, Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture, is a New Year ritual in which enormous bamboo mikoshi are burned to pray for protection from fire and a good harvest.
About Imao Sagicho
Imao Sagicho is a New Year fire festival held on the grounds of Akiba Shrine in Imao, Hirata-cho, Kaizu City.
Kadomatsu decorations, , old ofuda, and other items are burned to welcome the god of fire and pray for protection from fire, good health, and a good harvest.
It is held on the second Sunday of February each year and is a local tradition passed down for more than 400 years.
It is also designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture.
Source: 今尾の左義長 | 海津市
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the enormous bamboo mikoshi made by each of the 13 neighborhoods.
Bamboo mikoshi made by arranging green bamboo in a drum shape are carried onto the grounds of Akiba Shrine and set ablaze one after another by the sacred fire.
Sparks and smoke rise from the bamboo mikoshi, which stands about 6 meters tall. As bamboo cracks and firecrackers ring out, young men wearing long under-kimonos and white tabi socks run around the fire.
Source: 今尾の左義長【海津市】｜観光スポット｜岐阜県観光公式サイト 「岐阜の旅ガイド」
Imao’s fire festival, where bamboo mikoshi from 13 neighborhoods offer flames and sound
What to expect
The festival begins with a Shinto ceremony, after which bamboo mikoshi from each neighborhood are carried onto the grounds of Akiba Shrine.
After receiving the sacred fire, the young men transfer it to the bamboo mikoshi, then run around the blazing flames. Once the bamboo mikoshi has burned sufficiently, they topple it toward the auspicious direction.
The way the bamboo mikoshi falls is used to divine the year’s fortune, and the mikoshi from all 13 neighborhoods are burned one after another.
How to take part
The bamboo mikoshi at the heart of the festival is built, set alight, and carried by parishioners’ groups of young men and other local participants.
No way for general visitors to join in by carrying the bamboo mikoshi or running around the fire is listed.
Visitors enjoy the event by watching the neighborhood offerings and fire ritual on the grounds of Akiba Shrine.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Grounds of Akiba Shrine (Imao Shrine’s otabisho) / Imao, Hirata-cho, Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture
- Train and bus
Take the Kaizu Hashima Line of the Kaizu City Community Bus from Meitetsu Gifu-Hashima Station and get off at “Imao.”
Address Imao, Hirata-cho, Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 Event Information (the listed dates have passed)
The event was announced as scheduled for February 8 (Sunday) in 2026.
It is usually held on the second Sunday of February, but the event information available does not specify the timing of the day’s rituals or the bamboo mikoshi procession.
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 Gifu Prefecture / Kaizu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The bamboo mikoshi blaze on the , producing sparks and smoke and the sound of bamboo cracking.
Because this is a fire festival, it is important to stay within the designated viewing area and avoid obstructing the burning area or the young men’s movements.
Follow on-site guidance at the time of the festival regarding specific rules for clothing, belongings, and photography.
Nearby attractions
The nearby spots introduced in information about Imao Sagicho include the ruins of Imao Castle, Otohime Park, Chiyobo Inari Shrine, Hirata Park, and the cherry tree-lined banks of the Ogure River.
The Kisogawa Three Rivers Waju Museum is also suggested for those interested in exploring local history and culture.
If you plan to stop by along with the festival, check each facility’s opening days and conditions of use in advance.
Origins and History of Imao Sagicho
Sagicho is said to have originated as a ritual in which green bamboo was bundled and New Year’s calligraphy and other items were burned to pray for a good harvest.
In Imao, the tradition is said to have begun with Ohi-machi, when parishioners gathered on the 17th day of the New Year to worship the sun god. Later, the sun god came to be enshrined as the fire god, and the ritual developed into a fire-quelling event.
Akiba Shrine was founded in Meiwa 4 (1767), and the tradition has been passed down as today’s large-scale bamboo mikoshi festival.
Official information
The official Kaizu City page provides information about the venue, the festival’s origins, and the dedication of the bamboo mikoshi.
Details of its cultural property designation and the festival’s sequence of events can also be found in the Cultural Heritage Division’s information on the official Gifu Prefecture website.
The official Gifu Prefecture tourism website announces that the 2026 event is scheduled for February 8 (Sunday).
Imao Sagicho at a Glance
Imao Sagicho is a New Year event held in Imao, Hirata-cho, Kaizu City, for more than 400 years to pray for protection from fire and a good harvest.
The 13 neighborhoods each make a bamboo mikoshi about 6 meters tall, carry it onto the grounds of Akiba Shrine, and burn them one after another.
The festival’s defining features include the spectacular offerings amid flames, smoke, and the sound of bamboo cracking, as well as the custom of divining good or bad fortune from the way the mikoshi falls.
The 2026 event was announced as scheduled for February 8 (Sunday).
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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