An Onbashira festival in which the community carries on the tradition of bringing the 4 Usukawa River pillars from the mountains to the village
Onbashira Festival of Iriyama-be Miyahara Shrine
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Held in the April 29 of the Year of the Rabbit and the Year of the Rooster / Held in the Year of the Rabbit and the Year of the Rooster
- Location
- Miyahara Shrine
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Matsumoto City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 50 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
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
The Onbashira Festival of Miyahara Shrine, passed down in Miyahara, Iriyama-be, Matsumoto City. The 4 pillars felled from both banks of the Usukawa River are handled in stages: the mountain procession, the village procession, and the pillar-raising. The traditional form of this festival lives on in the community’s division of responsibilities, the kiyari chants, and the tools used to raise the pillars.
About Onbashira Festival of Iriyama-be Miyahara Shrine
The Onbashira Festival of Iriyama-be Miyahara Shrine is a festival that has been passed down in Miyahara, Iriyama-be, Matsumoto City.
It is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the city, and the shrine’s are listed as its custodians.
When and how the festival began is unclear, but it has a long history thought to date back to the Edo period and is considered one of the Onbashira festivals common to the left bank of the Usukawa River.
Festival highlights
The highlights are the 4 pillars, 2 felled from each bank of the Usukawa River.
The pillars from the right bank are called the Senju Pillars, and those from the left bank the Miyahara Pillars. The thickest of them is designated the First Pillar.
The naming convention is also distinctive: the pillar felled alongside the First Pillar is called the Fourth Pillar, while the remaining 2 are called the Second and Third Pillars.
An Onbashira festival in which the community carries on the tradition of bringing the 4 Usukawa River pillars from the mountains to the village
What to expect
The festival consists of the mountain procession held the previous year, followed in the year the pillars are erected by the village procession and pillar-raising.
The heads of households and young people from the 8 communities involved in the festival form an organizing committee. Under the leadership of the head of the Onbashira Representatives’ Association, they divide up responsibilities such as hauling the pillars and serving as kiyari singers.
For raising the pillars, a shittate fitted with pulleys is erected, and the pillars are raised as wire is wound in with a .
Location and access
- Venue and address
Miyahara Shrine, Miyahara, Iriyama-be, Matsumoto City
Address Miyahara, Iriyama-be, Matsumoto City
Dates and season
- Season
Held in the April 29 of the Year of the Rabbit and the Year of the Rooster
- Frequency
Held in the Year of the Rabbit and the Year of the Rooster
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 Nagano Prefecture / Matsumoto City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
旧開智学校
長野県松本市にある明治時代の擬洋風建築の小学校校舎。2019年に近代学校建築として初めて国宝に指定された
松本城
長野県松本市にある城
松本市四賀化石館
長野県松本市にある博物館
写真：photo: Qurren ( talk ) Taken with Canon IXY 10S / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·
松本市立考古博物館
長野県松本市中山にある博物館
松本市美術館
長野県松本市にある美術館
乗鞍岳
飛騨山脈南部の長野県松本市と岐阜県高山市にまたがる山
Official information
Matsumoto City website, “Onbashira Festival of Iriyama-be Miyahara Shrine”
Cultural Properties Section, Department of Culture and Tourism
電話：0263-34-3292
Onbashira Festival of Iriyama-be Miyahara Shrine at a Glance
The Onbashira Festival of Iriyama-be Miyahara Shrine is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Matsumoto City and has been passed down in Miyahara, Iriyama-be.
The 4 pillars felled from the right and left banks of the Usukawa River are handled in stages: the mountain procession, the village procession, and the pillar-raising. For the pillar-raising, pulleys and wire are used to raise the pillars.
The festival is said to be held in the April 29 of the Year of the Rabbit and the Year of the Rooster, but no dates for the 2026 festival have been provided.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
