A Jizo Bon celebration in Kawakami, Kamikawa Town, with wishes entrusted to hanadango
Kawakami Jizo Bon festival
The 2026 edition of Kawakami Jizo Bon festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/08/23Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year on August 23 / Every year
- Location
- The Jizo Hall on the grounds of Fukudenji Temple
- Area
- Hyogo Prefecture・Kamikawa Town(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 40 min–3 h 10 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.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A Jizo Bon celebration passed down in the Kawakami district of Kamikawa Town, where hanadango are offered to the Jizo. The distinctive offerings, carefully made by local people, and the evening have been passed down through generations.
About Kawakami Jizo Bon festival
The Kawakami Jizo Bon festival is a Jizo Bon celebration passed down in the Kawakami district of Kamikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture.
Six neighborhood groups each make brightly colored hanadango and offer them to the Jizo on the grounds of Fukudenji Temple.
Along with prayers for the Jizo, people pray for children to grow up healthy, for protection from illness and misfortune, and for peace in the settlement.
From children to adults, people in the community take part, keeping the event alive as part of everyday life.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the hanadango shaped like flowers.
Rice-flour dough is cut into diamond shapes, slits are made on all four sides and folded like flower petals, then the pieces are threaded onto bamboo skewers and the character “flower” is written in the center.
About 50 to 100 are arranged in a mound shape in a wooden tub, with camellias, doll-shaped dango, banners bearing the group names, and other decorations added to complete the display.
The process of carrying the finished offerings to the Jizo Hall and presenting them is also distinctive.
A Jizo Bon celebration in Kawakami, Kamikawa Town, with wishes entrusted to hanadango
What to expect
On the day of the event, the Jizo Hall is cleaned and the for Bon Odori is erected on the grounds of Fukudenji Temple.
Meanwhile, hanadango are made at each group’s meeting hall. Children join in, learning from adults, while men prepare the bamboo skewers.
The hanadango are carried to the Jizo Hall and offered there. After prayers for the Jizo, led by the head priest, Bon Odori and a lottery are held in the evening.
How to take part
This community-led Jizo Bon observance is organized by the whole Kawakami district, from children to adults.
Children also help make flower-shaped dango, working alongside adults from their own neighborhood group who teach them.
If you are visiting, it is best to check the event information first to see whether general visitors may join in making the dango or the Bon Odori.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The Jizo Hall on the grounds of Fukudenji Temple (Kawakami district, Kamikawa Town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture).
Address Kawakami district, Kamikawa Town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 Event Information (The listed dates have passed)
This Jizo Bon observance is held every August 23.
In 2026, it falls on August 23.
Along with memorial services in the and offerings of flower-shaped dango, Bon Odori and a lottery are held in the evening.
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 Hyogo Prefecture / Kamikawa Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Origins and History of Kawakami Jizo Bon festival
The Kawakami Jizo Bon festival is an intangible folk cultural property passed down in the Kawakami district.
The Jizo Hall on the grounds of Fukudenji Temple enshrines the “Dan-no-Jizo,” said to have been created to pray for the repose of Emperor Antoku and the Taira clan, who drowned themselves at Dan-no-ura during the Genpei War.
Hanadango were once made by the household taking its turn in each neighborhood group, but today members gather and make them together by group.
In 2025, the festival was selected as an intangible folk cultural property requiring measures such as the creation of records.
Official information
The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of National Cultural Properties provides information on the Kawakami Jizo Bon festival, including an overview and the date it was made public.
The Kawakami Jizo Bon festival is also listed in Kamikawa Town’s list of designated cultural properties and other cultural assets.
Source: 指定等文化財一覧 | 兵庫県神河町
Kawakami Jizo Bon festival at a Glance
The Kawakami Jizo Bon festival is a local Jizo Bon celebration held every year on August 23 in the Kawakami district of Kamikawa Town.
Six neighborhood groups make hanadango shaped like flowers and offer them to the Jizo on the grounds of Fukudenji Temple, praying for children’s growth, protection from illness and misfortune, and peace in the settlement.
After the daytime offerings and prayers, Bon Odori and a lottery are held in the evening.
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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