Kaneko Shrine Festival

Festival highlights

A highlight is the mikoshi, decorated in vibrant colors, and 2 dashi making their rounds through the area.

Nishimitsugi Bayashi, a city-designated intangible folk cultural property, is performed on the dashi, adding the festival’s distinctive music to the celebrations.

Music is performed along the route on the yagura, and kuruma-giri takes place at the mikisho.

The sight of the mikoshi, dashi, and festival music moving together reflects the area’s traditions.

Source: 62 西三ツ木ばやし／入間市｜香り豊かな緑の文化都市

A traditional Kaneko festival where mikoshi and dashi make their rounds to the sound of festival music

What to expect

The festival takes place over 2 days: Yoimiya and the main festival day.

On the first day, Yoimiya, the dashi make their rounds through the village from the evening. On the second day, the main festival day, 1 mikoshi and 2 dashi make their way around the area from the afternoon.

Nishimitsugi Bayashi is played atop the dashi, while music is also performed along the route and during kuruma-giri on the yagura.

As the festival unfolds, mikoshi and dashi make their way around the Nishimitsugi and Mitsugidai districts.

Location and access

Venue and address

Kaneko Shrine (23 Nishimitsugi, Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture) and the Nishimitsugi and Mitsugidai districts.

Source: 金子神社。入間市西三ツ木の神社

Address 23 Nishimitsugi, Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture

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Dates and season

It is usually held on a Saturday and Sunday in late April, with mikoshi and dashi parading through the area over 2 days: the eve festival and the main festival.

The dates are set by the days of the week, so they vary from year to year.

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Origins and History of Kaneko Shrine Festival

The festival’s origins are unclear, but a village record from Kansei 3 (1791) documents villagers holding a festival at a shrine to Gozu Tenno.

The festival was already being held in the late Edo period and is said to have grown into a grand event from the Tenpo era through the Meiji period.

The dates have shifted over time to June 15, July 20 and 25, May 1, among others. Today, the festival is carried on the last Saturday and Sunday of April.

Official information

Iruma City’s “Iruma Festival Calendar” lists the Kaneko Shrine Festival as an event held on a Saturday and Sunday in late April.

The venues are Kaneko Shrine and the Nishimitsugi and Mitsugidai districts, and the festival is described as featuring 2 dashi making their way around the area alongside a mikoshi.

Iruma City lists Nishimitsugi Bayashi as a city-designated intangible folk cultural property.

Kaneko Shrine Festival at a Glance

The Kaneko Shrine Festival is a shrine festival passed down in the Nishimitsugi and Mitsugidai districts of Iruma City.

1 mikoshi and 2 dashi make their way around the area, and Nishimitsugi Bayashi, passed down since the Edo period, is performed on the dashi.

It is usually held on the last Saturday and Sunday of April and consists of Yoimiya and the main festival day.