Kawasegaki, entrusting prayers for health and safety and for the repose of the souls of the deceased to straw boats
Kamitsukure Kawasegaki
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- August 19 / Every year
- Location
- Grounds of the Shirakawa Bridge District, Kamitsukure
- Area
- Kumamoto Prefecture・Kikuyo Town(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.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
Kawasegaki, passed down in Kamitsukure, Kikuyo Town, is a traditional event in which people float straw segaki boats and offerings down the Shirakawa River and pray for the health and safety of people and animals and for the repose of the souls of the deceased.
About Kamitsukure Kawasegaki
Kamitsukure Kawasegaki is a traditional event passed down in Kamitsukure, Kikuyo Town.
Every year on August 19, people float straw segaki boats and offerings down the Shirakawa River, praying for the health and safety of people and animals and for the repose of the souls of the deceased.
Memorial sutras and other rites are also held before ancestral graves near Tsushiro Bridge.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the custom of floating straw segaki boats and offerings down the Shirakawa River.
Floating boats down the river expresses prayers for the health and safety of people and animals and for the repose of the souls of the deceased.
The memorial sutras chanted before ancestral graves near Tsushiro Bridge are another scene that characterizes the event.
Kawasegaki, entrusting prayers for health and safety and for the repose of the souls of the deceased to straw boats
What to expect
For the event, people make segaki boats from straw and float them down the Shirakawa River with offerings.
Memorial sutras and other rites are also held before ancestral graves near Tsushiro Bridge.
Through floating the boats down the river and chanting sutras at the graves, people pray for the health and safety of people and animals and for the repose of the souls of the deceased.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Grounds of the Shirakawa Bridge District, Kamitsukure
Address Grounds of the Shirakawa Bridge District, Kamitsukure, Kikuyo Town
Dates and season
Every year on August 19
Accommodation and hotels PR
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Origins and History of Kamitsukure Kawasegaki
Kawasegaki is listed as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Kikuyo Town in Showa 54 February 23.
A 2001 record notes that memorial sutras and other rites are held before ancestral graves near Tsushiro Bridge.
In addition, according to information on the Kikuyo Town website from 2005, the event is held every year on August 19, when segaki boats and offerings are floated down the Shirakawa River.
Official information
Contact: Kikuyo Town Office 096-232-2111
Kamitsukure Kawasegaki at a Glance
Kamitsukure Kawasegaki is a traditional event passed down in Kamitsukure, Kikuyo Town.
Every year on August 19, people float straw segaki boats and offerings down the Shirakawa River, praying for the health and safety of people and animals and for the repose of the souls of the deceased, and chant memorial sutras and perform other rites before ancestral graves.
The venue is listed as the grounds of the Shirakawa Bridge District, Kamitsukure.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
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Article updated: 2026/11/11
