A summer festival where local prayers dwell in a giant Ofune-sama adorned with a white heron
Iwamurata Gion Festival and Ofune-sama Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Weekend in mid-July / Every year
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Saku 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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Centered in the Arashuku district of Iwamurata, Saku City, the Iwamurata Gion Festival and Ofune-sama Festival enshrines a giant Ofune-sama adorned with a white heron. Linked to the Gion Festival, which is said to have begun in 1398, it carries local traditions into the present.
About Iwamurata Gion Festival and Ofune-sama Festival
Held as part of the Iwamurata Gion Festival, the Ofune-sama Festival is a celebration rooted in the Arashuku district of Iwamurata, Saku City, Nagano Prefecture.
A giant, ship-like “Ofune-sama” is assembled, with a heron ornament and a princess with a lion-like face enshrined aboard.
The festival is linked to Iwamurata’s Gion Festival and has been passed down through local faith and daily life.
The Ofune-sama Festival is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Saku City as “The Ofune-sama Festival in Iwamurata Gion.”
Source: 岩村田祇園祭お船様祭り - Wikipedia / 岩村田祇園におけるお船様祭り - 信州の文化財 - 財団法人 八十二文化財団
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the large Ofune-sama assembled in the middle of the road, with a heron ornament decorating its upper section.
A white heron figure about 2 meters long is raised atop a mast about 7.6 meters high, and a kimono-clad princess about 2.5 meters tall is placed in the hull.
The heron is traditionally positioned facing landmarks such as Shishiiwa and Ofuneishi, reflecting local traditions in the festival setting itself.
A summer festival where local prayers dwell in a giant Ofune-sama adorned with a white heron
What to expect
In preparation for the festival, the Arashuku district assembles Ofune-sama in the middle of the road and arranges the curtains, heron ornament, and princess.
During the festival, Ofune-sama is enshrined in Arashuku, and a from Wakamiya Shrine is also enshrined for just 1 night.
The custom of passing beneath the mikoshi, along with the dismantling of Ofune-sama beginning the morning after the festival, is also part of what defines this celebration.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Arashuku district, Iwamurata, Saku City.
Ofune-sama sets out from the Arashuku district.
- Train and bus
About a 15-minute walk from Iwamurata Station on the JR Koumi Line.
- By car
About 5 minutes by car from Saku IC on the Joshin-etsu Expressway.
Event venue 長野県佐久市 佐久市岩村田荒宿区
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
It is held annually on a weekend in mid-July as the annual festival of Wakamiya Shrine and Gion Tennōsha in the Iwamurada district.
Festival preparations and the assembly of the Ofune-sama take place every year in July.
Source: トップページ｜岩村田商店街オフィシャルサイト いわむらだ.こむ
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 / Saku City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
As Ofune-sama is assembled in the middle of the road, please follow instructions when watching so as not to obstruct festival participants or local residents.
As mikoshi and Ofune-sama are involved on the day of the festival, it is important to keep your distance and watch from a safe location.
As this festival is protected as a cultural property, please do not touch exhibits or festival facilities, and check local instructions about whether photography is permitted.
Nearby attractions
The area around Iwamurata retains traces of its past as the 22nd post town on the Nakasendo route, which had 69 post towns.
In Arashuku, a stone waymarker inscribed “From here to Zenkoji” is introduced as a place where visitors can trace the town’s history as a post town.
Along with watching the festival, you can visit the handmade and craft shops in Iwamurata Honcho Shopping Street and enjoy a walk through the local streetscape.
Origins and History of Iwamurata Gion Festival and Ofune-sama Festival
According to tradition, in 1398 the Oi clan brought Gion worship to Iwamurata from Tsushima Shrine in Owari Province, and began holding the Gion Festival and Ofune Festival together.
Afterward, following an interruption during the Sengoku period and a revival in the Edo period, records of festival customs and ship decorations accumulated.
In 1920, the appearance of overhead power lines led Ofune-sama to change from a mobile structure to a fixed one. In 1983, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Saku City.
Official information
The Iwamurata Gion Festival is listed as a local annual festival on the official Iwamurata Honcho Shopping Street website.
The Ofune-sama Festival is listed in Shinshu cultural property information as “The Ofune-sama Festival in Iwamurata Gion,” with its location and directions.
Visitors are advised to check in advance with the department responsible for cultural property protection.
Iwamurata Gion Festival and Ofune-sama Festival at a Glance
The Iwamurata Gion Festival and Ofune-sama Festival is a celebration rooted in the Arashuku district of Iwamurata, Saku City, where local traditions are intertwined with Gion worship.
The striking highlights are the enormous Ofune-sama in the middle of the road, the white heron atop its mast, and the princess with a lion-like face.
With a history said to date back to 1398, the Gion Festival continues to be passed down as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Saku City.
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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