A fall festival in Kinomoto, Kumano City, featuring dashi, the Roppō procession, and the beach mikoshi-carrying ritual
Kinomoto Matsuri
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every fall / Every year
- Location
- Kinomoto Shrine and the area of Kinomotochō
- Area
- Mie Prefecture・Kumano City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 h · bullet train + connecting 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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
An annual festival at Kinomoto Shrine in Kinomotochō, Kumano City, Mie Prefecture, where , , and the Roppō procession travel through town. The beach mikoshi-carrying ritual, in which the mikoshi is purified at Shichiri Mihama, is also held.
About Kinomoto Matsuri
Kinomoto Matsuri is an annual festival held at Kinomoto Shrine in Kinomotochō, Kumano City, Mie Prefecture.
Dashi, mikoshi, drums, and other items set out from the different districts of Kinomotochō, processing through town alongside the mikoshi.
The Roppō procession and other processions and acts of service passed down in each community make up the festival.
This is a fall event in Kinomoto that brings together shrine rites and activities by local residents.
Source: 木本まつり - Wikipedia / 三重県神社庁教化委員会 » 木本神社
Festival highlights
Highlights include a procession featuring the Inari dashi, mikoshi, Roppō, Yoiyā, children’s mikoshi, and Motomiya drums.
In the Roppō procession, young men wearing makeup carry folding box stands, bear fur, bird feathers, and hand spears, moving forward with sweeping arm gestures and forceful steps while calling out.
The mikoshi is carried at lodging stops and elsewhere as it makes its way through town to Ise Ondo songs and chants.
At the end, the beach mikoshi-carrying ritual is held at Shichiri Mihama, where the mikoshi is immersed in seawater for purification.
A fall festival in Kinomoto, Kumano City, featuring dashi, the Roppō procession, and the beach mikoshi-carrying ritual
What to expect
After the festival rites, the sacred object is placed in the mikoshi, and the procession begins around noon, led by the Inari dashi.
The Roppō, Yoiyā, children’s mikoshi, and Motomiya drums follow the mikoshi, heading for Inari Shrine, the o-tabi-sho.
At lodging stops in town, attendants carry the mikoshi, and the procession continues to offerings from residents and Ise Ondo songs.
The beach mikoshi-carrying ritual takes place from the o-tabi-sho. After the mikoshi is purified in the sea, it returns to Kinomoto Shrine.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The procession starts at Kinomoto Shrine (95 Kinomotochō, Kumano City, Mie Prefecture) and travels through Kinomotochō.
- Train and bus
Get off at Kumano-shi Station on the JR Kisei Main Line; it is a 10-minute walk.
Address 95 Kinomotochō, Kumano City, Mie Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Every fall
- 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 Mie Prefecture / Kumano City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
大馬神社
三重県熊野市にある神社
花窟神社
三重県熊野市に所在する神社
Origins and History of Kinomoto Matsuri
The rites at Kinomoto Shrine are said to have been held since around Keichō 13 (1608).
Kinomoto Shrine was originally called Nyakuichi Ōji Gongen and is said to have been relocated from the Nitta district to its present site.
The Roppō procession is thought to express the joy of Kinomoto residents when the area became directly governed by the main domain of the Kii Domain, and to imitate sankin-kōtai processions and daimyō processions.
The name Roppō is said to come from the movements of waving the arms and stamping the feet in six directions: up, down, east, west, north, and south.
Official information
The Mie Prefecture Shrine Association’s Education Committee introduces the rites and mikoshi procession at Kinomoto Shrine in its guide to the shrine.
The guide covers the order of the mikoshi procession, the Roppō procession, the beach mikoshi-carrying ritual, the location of Kinomoto Shrine, and directions from the nearest station.
Kinomoto Shrine’s phone number is 0597-85-3586.
Kinomoto Matsuri at a Glance
Kinomoto Matsuri is an annual festival that starts at Kinomoto Shrine, with dashi, mikoshi, the Roppō procession, and drums traveling through Kinomotochō.
Highlights include the Roppō movements, with sweeping arm gestures and firm steps; the mikoshi procession through lodging stops; and the beach mikoshi-carrying ritual at Shichiri Mihama.
As a festival held since around Keichō 13 (1608), it has been passed down through the combined efforts of the shrine and the districts of the town.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
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Article updated: 2026/10/19
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