Demons and flower umbrellas wind through town in Nishigamo’s spring festival to quell disease
Yasurai Festival (Kawakami Daijingu Shrine)
The 2026 edition of Yasurai Festival (Kawakami Daijingu Shrine) has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/04/12Ended
- Season / frequency
- Second Sunday of April each year / Once a year
- Location
- Kawakami Daijingu Shrine
- Area
- Kyoto Prefecture・Kyoto City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 10 min–2 h 40 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.
- Highlights and activities
- Official website / social media
- Official website
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A traditional event at Kawakami Daijingu Shrine, where a flower-decorated furyu umbrella and demons wind through Nishigamo to the sounds of gongs and drums, and perform Yasurai Odori at Imamiya Shrine.
About Yasurai Festival (Kawakami Daijingu Shrine)
The Yasurai Festival is a traditional event that begins at Kawakami Daijingu Shrine in Nishigamo, Kita Ward, Kyoto, with demons parading through the shrine’s parishioner community.
The festival is intended to quell epidemics believed to spread in spring by gathering their source beneath a furyu umbrella and confining it at an epidemic shrine.
In autumn 2022, Yasurai-bana was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Source: やすらい祭【川上大神宮社】｜【京都市公式】京都観光Navi
Festival highlights
Centered around a flower-decorated furyu umbrella, demons in red costumes with black hair dance to the accompaniment of gongs and drums as they make their way through the neighborhood.
The procession travels from Kawakami Daijingu Shrine to So Shrine and then Imamiya Shrine, so watching it on the move is a highlight as well as the ceremony itself.
It is said that entering beneath the furyu umbrella will ward off misfortune for that year.
Demons and flower umbrellas wind through town in Nishigamo’s spring festival to quell disease
What to expect
A ceremony is held at Kawakami Daijingu Shrine at around 11 a.m., and the procession sets off at 11:30 a.m.
It then travels through the parishioner community, arriving at So Shrine at around 1:30 p.m., before heading to Imamiya Shrine at around 2:30 p.m. to perform Yasurai Odori.
The festival is one to watch at various points along the route, with the demons’ dances and the sounds of gongs and drums.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Kawakami Daijingu Shrine (35 Nishigamo Minamikawakami-cho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture).
- Train and bus
Take the city bus to Nishigamo Shako-mae and walk 10 minutes.
Source: 川上大神宮社やすらい祭 | イベント一覧 | 京都府観光連盟公式サイト
Address 〒603-8814 35 Nishigamo Minamikawakami-cho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
The event was announced as scheduled for April 12 (Sunday) in 2026.
The festival is held on the second Sunday of April each year. In 2026, the schedule was a ceremony at 11 a.m., departure at 11:30 a.m., arrival at So Shrine at around 1:30 p.m., and arrival at Imamiya Shrine at around 2:30 p.m.
The procession times are given as approximate.
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 Kyoto Prefecture / Kyoto City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
The Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation’s guide lists Shodenji Temple, Kamigamo Shrine (Kamo-wakeikazuchi Shrine), Jōshōji Temple, and Genkōan Temple, among other attractions near the venue.
Among the facilities whose relationship to the venue is specified, Shodenji Temple is listed as 0.5 km away in a straight line, and Kamigamo Shrine as 1.2 km away.
If visiting alongside the festival, check each facility’s opening status and admission conditions.
京都タワー
京都府京都市下京区にある塔
京都国立博物館
京都市にある国立博物館
京都国立近代美術館
京都市左京区岡崎にある美術館
京都国際マンガミュージアム
日本の京都府京都市中京区にある日本最大の漫画博物館
京都市美術館
京都市左京区岡崎にある美術館
京都府立植物園
京都市左京区にある植物園
京都鉄道博物館
京都府京都市下京区にある鉄道博物館
Fushimi Inari Taisha
京都市伏見区にある神社
元離宮二条城
京都市にある城郭及び元皇室関連施設
Yasaka Shrine
京都市東山区にある神社
円山公園
京都市にある公園
Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
京都市上京区にある神社
Origins and History of Yasurai Festival (Kawakami Daijingu Shrine)
Kawakami Daijingu Shrine’s Yasurai Festival is said to have originated as a rite to quell epidemics that spread during the Heian period.
Today, demons dance around a flower umbrella to the sounds of gongs and drums as they parade through the shrine’s parishioner community toward Imamiya Shrine.
The event has been handed down as a festival to quell disease, and Yasurai-bana was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in autumn 2022.
Official information
Dates, times, venue, and access information are provided on Kyoto City’s official Kyoto Tourism Navi website.
Kawakami Daijingu Shrine’s phone number, 075-491-6623, is listed as the contact number.
The Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation’s event guide also provides details of the venue, address, and public transportation.
Yasurai Festival (Kawakami Daijingu Shrine) at a Glance
The Yasurai Festival is a traditional event that begins at Kawakami Daijingu Shrine, with a flower-decorated furyu umbrella and demons parading through the shrine’s parishioner community in Nishigamo.
In 2026, it was held on April 12 (Sunday), beginning with a ceremony at 11 a.m., then proceeding via So Shrine to Imamiya Shrine, where Yasurai Odori is performed.
A Kyoto spring festival that carries on the wish to quell epidemics.
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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