A New Year celebration with dashi and mikoshi parading through Imazu
Imazu Jūichinichi Matsuri
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Coming of Age Day in January / Once a year
- Location
- Toshinomiya
- Area
- Fukuoka Prefecture・Fukuoka City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 50 min–2 h 10 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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This New Year festival brings color to Imazu with , , and the calls of “Iwōta.” Children pulling the dashi and visiting homes to offer New Year greetings reflect the local way of life passed down through generations.
About Imazu Jūichinichi Matsuri
Imazu Jūichinichi Matsuri is a New Year festival held in Imazu, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City.
The participating neighborhoods are Kamimachi, Terakōji, and Higashimachi, which worship Toshi Shrine as their ujigami (guardian deity), and Honmachi, which worships Shishonomiya as its ujigami.
This community-rooted Intangible Folk Cultural Property involves preparing dashi and mikoshi in each neighborhood, then parading through the area and visiting homes.
Source: 福岡市の文化財
Festival highlights
A highlight is the sight of brightly decorated dashi and mikoshi making their way through the neighborhoods.
Young men purify the mikoshi at the beach and collect oshioi (purifying sand).
Children sing songs as they pull the dashi and visit homes in each neighborhood to the calls of “Iwōta.”
There are also moments when the costumed performers put on a show.
A New Year celebration with dashi and mikoshi parading through Imazu
What to expect
The day before the festival, each neighborhood prepares its dashi and mikoshi.
On the day of the festival, the mikoshi is purified at the beach, and oshioi (purifying sand) is collected before people pay their respects at the shrine.
Afterwards, people visit homes throughout the neighborhoods to offer New Year greetings and distribute oshioi, while children pull the dashi from house to house.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Toshinomiya (1571 Imazu, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City)
Address 1571 Imazu, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City
Dates and season
- Season
Coming of Age Day in January
- Frequency
Once a 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 Fukuoka Prefecture / Fukuoka City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Alongside information about the festival venue, nearby cultural properties are introduced, including Shōfukuji Temple, Imazu Ningyō Shibai, Seiganji Temple, and the Mongol Invasion Defensive Walls (Imazu area).
Shōfukuji Temple was founded in 1249, and Imazu Ningyō Shibai is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the prefecture.
The Mongol Invasion Defensive Walls are introduced as a historic site built along Hakata Bay during the Kamakura period.
Sumiyoshi Shrine
福岡県福岡市博多区住吉にある神社
博多ポートタワー
博多港にあるタワー
Ohori Park
福岡市中央区の公園
写真：Tzuhsun Hsu from Taipei, Taiwan / CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo source ·
志賀海神社
福岡県福岡市東区にある神社
海の中道海浜公園
福岡県福岡市東区にある国営公園
福岡アジア美術館
福岡市博多区にある美術館
福岡タワー
福岡市早良区の電波塔
福岡城
福岡市中央区にある城
福岡市動植物園
福岡市の動物園及び植物園
福岡市博物館
福岡市早良区にある博物館
福岡市美術館
福岡市中央区の大濠公園にある美術館
Origins and History of Imazu Jūichinichi Matsuri
The dashi’s current decorations feature a stage-like structure topped with brightly colored dolls.
According to a local legend about the festival’s origins, tribute goods unloaded at Imazu, once a trading port, were inspected by officials from Dazaifu and then loaded onto a dashi and paraded around Imazu.
Tradition and the festival as it is today come together, keeping the community’s memories alive.
Official information
Fukuoka City’s cultural property information lists Imazu Jūichinichi Matsuri as a city-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
The venue is Toshi Shrine, 1571 Imazu, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City.
The basic details of the festival and its designation as a cultural property can be confirmed through Fukuoka City’s cultural property information.
Imazu Jūichinichi Matsuri at a Glance
Imazu Jūichinichi Matsuri is a New Year festival in which dashi and mikoshi parade through the neighborhoods of Imazu and visit homes.
Visitors can see the community taking part across generations, from purifying the mikoshi and collecting oshioi (purifying sand) at the beach to children pulling the dashi and performances by costumed performers.
The festival is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Fukuoka City and is closely tied to the traditions and daily life of Imazu.
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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