A solemn Uenoki rite linking a year of duties with a procession at dawn
Kawara Jinja Shinji
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The first Day of the Rooster in March every year / Every year
- Location
- Kawara
- Area
- Fukui Prefecture・Wakasa Town(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 50 min–3 h 20 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
The Kawara Jinja , handed down in Uenoki, Wakasa Town, combines a year of duties performed by the ritual participant with preparations by the settlement. After mochi pounding, the transfer of the deity at midnight, and a procession at dawn, the festival rites are held in the Goten.
About Kawara Jinja Shinji
The Kawara Jinja Shinji is a solemn rite with a long history, held every year on the first Day of the Rooster in March at Kawara Jinja in Uenoki, Wakasa Town.
The grounds of the jinja, located near the center of the settlement, include a sacred area called the “Goten.” During the shinji, the ritual participants, the negi, and the priests play important roles.
Selected from among young men, the ritual participant observes the rules for the year leading up to the shinji, including attending the shrine every morning and refraining from taking life.
After several days beforehand, preparations on the previous day, the transfer of the deity at midnight, and a procession at dawn, the festival rites are held in the Goten.
Festival highlights
Highlights include mochi pounding on the previous day, conducted according to ancient tradition; the transfer of the deity to the altar at midnight; and the procession to Kawara Jinja at dawn.
Mochi is pounded as part of the preparations for the shinji, and this is described as “truly spectacular.”
The procession includes priests, the negi, the ritual participant carrying the Ogohei, and young girls carrying dishes.
A hundred dishes are offered inside the Goten at the shrine, and solemn festival rites are held.
A solemn Uenoki rite linking a year of duties with a procession at dawn
What to expect
Several days before the shinji, the ritual participant performs misogi in the sea at Obama together with the negi.
On the previous day, people involved gather at the ritual participant’s home and pound mochi as part of preparations for the shinji.
At midnight, the deity is transferred to the Ogohei on the altar. At dawn, the ritual participant carrying the Ogohei and others head to Kawara Jinja in a procession.
A hundred dishes are offered in the shrine’s Goten, and the festival rites are held.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Kawara Jinja (Uenoki, Wakasa Town)
Event venue 福井県若狭町 河原神社
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
- Season
The first Day of the Rooster in March every year
- Frequency
Every year
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 Fukui Prefecture / Wakasa Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
福井県年縞博物館
福井県若狭町にある地誌学の博物館
若狭三方縄文博物館
福井県若狭町にある博物館
Origins and History of Kawara Jinja Shinji
Available sources do not specify the exact origins or year of establishment of the Kawara Jinja Shinji, but Wakasa Town’s official guide describes it as a shinji with “a long history.”
Wakasa Town’s cultural property records list the Kawara Jinja Shinji as an intangible folk cultural property handed down in Uenoki, and classify it as a Fukui Prefecture cultural property.
The town’s list of major festival events also places it among the spring events held on “the first Day of the Rooster in March (sometimes on the nearest Sunday).”
Official information
Wakasa Town official website, “Kawara Jinja Shinji (Uenoki) [Prefectural Designation]” / Inquiries: Wakasa Town History and Culture Division (phone 0770-45-2270)
Kawara Jinja Shinji at a Glance
The Kawara Jinja Shinji is a solemn rite with a long history, held every year on the first Day of the Rooster in March in Uenoki, Wakasa Town.
Over the course of a year, the ritual participant attends the shrine and observes the rules, then makes further preparations through misogi several days beforehand, mochi pounding on the previous day, the transfer of the deity at midnight, and a procession at dawn.
A hundred dishes are offered in the Goten of Kawara Jinja, where the festival rites are held as an intangible folk cultural property handed down in the area.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
