Azumino’s boat festival: built and carried by the community, then rolled down a slope
Iwahara Jinja Ofune Festival
The 2026 edition of Iwahara Ofune Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/04/25 〜 2026/04/26Ended
- Season / frequency
- Apr / Every year
- Location
- Iwahara Jinja
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Azumino 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Participation / viewing
- Open to public participation
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
The Iwahara Jinja Ofune Festival is a festival passed down in Iwahara, Horikane, Azumino City, in which people carry a boat without wheels. Its distinctive procession of carrying the boat to the sound of drums and rolling it down a slope after the ceremony has been passed down through the generations.
About Iwahara Jinja Ofune Festival
The Iwahara Jinja Ofune Festival is a festival that 24 districts in Azumino City have worked together to continue as a community-wide event since before the Edo period.
The boat, carried by people without wheels, is considered a rare tradition that survives only in present-day Azumino City and is designated a municipal cultural property.
At the festival, people build the boat, carry it to Yama Jinja to the sound of taiko drums, and roll it down a slope after the shinji ceremony.
Despite challenges including a shortage of carriers and the transmission of skills, efforts are being made to pass the festival on with cooperation from within and beyond the community.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the sight of people carrying a boat-shaped structure made from brushwood and curtains as it moves to the sound of taiko drums.
The boat circles the Funatoishi 3 times clockwise before heading to Yama Jinja, then circles the Ofureishi 3 times after the shinji ceremony.
After that, the boat is turned on its side and rolled down a slope, continuing until the curtains and hanegi break away and only the framework of the and arm supports remains.
The children’s boat and the taiko drums attached to the main boat are also distinctive features of the festival.
Azumino’s boat festival: built and carried by the community, then rolled down a slope
What to expect
In preparation for the festival, the yagura is assembled at the boat-building site, then arm supports, hanegi, and leafy brushwood are attached to form the boat.
On the day, the procession sets off in order, including the representatives, children’s boat, and main boat. They circle the Funatoishi as the taiko drums on the children’s boat and main boat ring out.
After the shinji ceremony and purification at Yama Jinja, they circle the Ofureishi 3 times and roll the boat down a slope.
Finally, they carry the yagura and arm supports back to the boat-building site, bringing the festival to a close.
How to take part
People are being recruited from within and beyond the community to carry the boat.
In 2025, more than 60 people from within and beyond the district took part in carrying the boat. In 2024, more than 50 people, including members of the Festival Preservation Society, carried it.
Information is available about recruiting participants, but no conditions for general spectators are specified.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Iwahara Jinja, Horikane, Azumino City (near National Government Park Alps Azumino)
Address Iwahara Jinja, Horikane, Azumino City
Dates and season
2026 Festival Information (the listed dates have passed)
2026年4月11日（土）・12日（日）8:00〜準備（お舟製作、灯籠設置など）／4月25日（土）8:00〜宵祭り準備、19:00〜宵祭り（ビンゴゲーム）／4月26日（日）8:00〜本祭り準備、11:20頃〜お舟曳航開始、12:50頃〜御布令渡しの神事と舟を転がり落とす行事、13:30頃〜福まき、14:10頃〜福引大抽選会
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 / Azumino City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
The venue is near National Government Park Alps Azumino.
In 2025, the boat was built inside the park and displayed for a week leading up to the festival.
穂高神社
長野県安曇野市にある神社
貞享義民記念館
長野県安曇野市にある貞享騒動の記念館
Origins and History of Iwahara Jinja Ofune Festival
The festival has continued since before the Edo period. In the past, Iwahara, Kami-Hori, and Shimo-Hori hosted it, while Tadai and Tajiri took part as guest districts.
Later, Iwahara took responsibility for preparing the boat covering, raising banners, and setting up lanterns. The arrangement changed so that Kami-Hori and Shimo-Hori took turns carrying the boat every other year. After it became the ujigami of Iwahara, the youth association and fire brigade carried it.
Until the end of the Showa period, the youth association carried the boat. Since 1991, the Iwahara Shinkokai has supported the festival as the Iwahara Festival Preservation Society.
A children’s boat has also been made since 1997.
Official information
Details from the Iwahara Festival Preservation Society are available on the official “Iwahara Jinja Ofune Festival” page.
The 2026 festival schedule and venue, as well as an overview of the festival, are listed.
Iwahara Jinja Ofune Festival at a Glance
The Iwahara Jinja Ofune Festival is a festival that preserves the tradition of carrying a boat without wheels, a practice supported by 24 districts in Azumino City.
The festival is known for its sequence of building the boat, circling the Funatoishi and Ofureishi to the sound of taiko drums, and rolling the boat down a slope after the shinji ceremony.
The festival dates back to before the Edo period, and its preservation is now supported by the Iwahara Festival Preservation Society.
For 2026, an evening festival is scheduled for April 25 and the main festival for April 26.
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
