A traditional Izu-sawa event that reads the weather for the coming year from the arrows’ course
Izu-sawa Weather Divination
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Event status
- Cancelled
- Season / frequency
- February 11
- Location
- Monju-do Hall and Suwa Shrine in the Izu-sawa Kamigo area
- Area
- Saitama Prefecture・Ogano Town(From Tokyo: approx. 30 min–1 h · 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.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Required number of participants
- 3 people (officials responsible for the ritual archery ceremony)
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Through Monju Bodhisattva’s festival day and the ritual archery ceremony, Izu-sawa Weather Divination is a traditional event in Ogano Town that has carried forward prayers for learning and for the weather in the coming year.
About Izu-sawa Weather Divination
Izu-sawa Weather Divination is a traditional event held in February associated with Monju-do Hall and Suwa Shrine in Izu-sawa Kamigo.
On Monju Bodhisattva’s festival day, worshippers visit to pray for learning and wisdom, while Suwa Shrine has long held a ritual archery ceremony.
The event, passed down in the local community, divines the weather for the coming year from the arrows’ course.
Source: 【休止】伊豆沢文殊様（天気占い） | 小鹿野町観光協会
Festival highlights
A highlight is the ritual archery ceremony, in which 3 officials shoot arrows at a target 15 meters away and divine the weather for the coming year from their course.
It is held on the same day as Monju Bodhisattva’s festival day and is also associated with prayers for success in exams by students preparing for entrance exams.
Its distinctive feature is that faith and weather divination have been passed down together in one place.
A traditional Izu-sawa event that reads the weather for the coming year from the arrows’ course
What to expect
As part of the event, people visit Monju-do Hall on Monju Bodhisattva’s festival day and pray for learning and wisdom.
At Suwa Shrine, 3 officials perform a ritual archery ceremony, shooting arrows at a target; the weather for the coming year is divined from their course.
The event date is given as February 11.
How to take part
Many worshippers, including students preparing for entrance exams, have visited on Monju Bodhisattva’s festival day.
No special eligibility requirements are specified for general worship or viewing.
Whether you can take part as one of the officials responsible for the ritual archery ceremony needs to be confirmed individually.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Monju-do Hall and Suwa Shrine in the Izu-sawa Kamigo area (Ogano Town).
Address Monju-do Hall and Suwa Shrine, in the Izu-sawa Kamigo area, Ogano, Chichibu District, Saitama Prefecture
Dates and season
For 2026, Izusawa Monju-sama (weather divination) is listed as suspended.
The usual date is February 11, but no actual event schedule has been set for 2026.
Source: 伝統行事 | 小鹿野町観光協会
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 Saitama Prefecture / Ogano Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
If you’re considering attending, please check that both Monjudō and Suwa Shrine are listed as venues.
In the matoya ritual, 3 officials shoot arrows at a target 15 meters away.
As the event is listed as suspended in 2026, you’ll need to check its status before visiting.
Origins and History of Izu-sawa Weather Divination
Izu-sawa Weather Divination is a local traditional event said to have continued since the Edo period.
It has been selected as a Prefectural Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property. A custom has been passed down of shooting arrows at Suwa Shrine and divining the weather for the coming year from their course.
Against a backdrop of a shortage of successors, young people moving away, and an aging population, the event has been canceled every year since 2021 and is now suspended.
Official information
You can check the event’s status, date, and venue in the traditional events information provided by the Ogano Town Tourism Association.
The same information page lists Izu-sawa Monju-sama (Weather Divination) as suspended.
Izu-sawa Weather Divination at a Glance
Izu-sawa Weather Divination is an event comprising Monju Bodhisattva’s festival day and the ritual archery ceremony at Suwa Shrine, and is said to have continued since the Edo period.
A key feature is divining the weather for the coming year from the course of arrows shot by 3 officials.
It has been announced that the event is suspended in 2026.
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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