A New Year event in Nakajima, where bonten and prayers meet by the sea
Bonten Setting-Up in Nakajima, Kisarazu
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on January 7 (from before dawn until around sunrise) / Every year
- Location
- Nakajima shore
- Area
- Chiba Prefecture・Kisarazu City(From Tokyo: approx. 40 min–1 h · 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
As the young men set up bonten in the sea while waiting for sunrise, practitioners from Dewa Sanzan pray on the shore. This New Year annual event brings together Nakajima's neighborhood groups and the community's hopes.
About Bonten Setting-Up in Nakajima, Kisarazu
The Bonten Setting-Up in Nakajima, Kisarazu, is an annual event held before dawn on the 7th day of the New Year. The young men wait for sunrise, then enter the sea to set up bonten.
The event is held by each Wakashū group in Nakajima's 6 neighborhoods, and is centered on young men joining the group for the first time that year.
On the shore, practitioners from Dewa Sanzan perform prayers for bountiful harvests, the driving away of epidemics, and a plentiful catch.
The event brings together the community's young men's groups, the sea, and the worship of Dewa Sanzan.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
Festival highlights
A highlight is the rule that the young men enter the sea and set the next bonten farther offshore than the one set up before it.
The bonten set up in the sea is made by attaching with hemp thread to the tip of a makizake bamboo stalk about 3 ken long.
Another bonten is made by wrapping straw around a bamboo stalk about 1 ken long and inserting many gohei. After it is set up on the shore, it is taken back to the lodging, and the gohei are distributed to each household.
On the shore, practitioners blow conch shells and pray while reciting the Heart Sutra.
A New Year event in Nakajima, where bonten and prayers meet by the sea
What to expect
The event begins before dawn. The young men wait for sunrise, then enter the sea.
A bonten is set up for each group in the 6 neighborhood associations, and each group entering later sets theirs farther out to sea than the previous one.
Meanwhile, on the shore, practitioners from Dewa Sanzan blow conch shells at an altar, turn their prayer beads, and recite the Heart Sutra.
Another bonten set up on the shore is taken back to the lodging, and its gohei are distributed to each household.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Nakajima shore
Event venue 千葉県木更津市 中島の海岸
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
- Season
Every year on January 7 (from before dawn until around sunrise)
- 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 Chiba Prefecture / Kisarazu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
太田山公園
千葉県木更津市にある公園
Origins and History of Bonten Setting-Up in Nakajima, Kisarazu
According to legend, the event began when a calamity that befell the village during the Genroku era was overcome through the divine virtue of Dewa Sanzan.
Because practitioners from Dewa Sanzan perform the prayers, the event is considered to convey its ties to the worship of Dewa Sanzan.
It is also regarded as an event connected with coming-of-age rites, since it is centered on those joining the young men's group for the first time that year.
In 1992, it was selected as an intangible folk cultural property for which a record should be made.
Official information
National Cultural Property Database, “Bonten Setting-Up in Nakajima, Kisarazu”
Bonten Setting-Up in Nakajima, Kisarazu at a Glance
The Bonten Setting-Up in Nakajima, Kisarazu, is an event held before dawn on the 7th day of the New Year, when young men enter the sea and set up bonten for each neighborhood.
On the shore, practitioners from Dewa Sanzan pray using conch shells and the Heart Sutra, asking for bountiful harvests, the driving away of epidemics, and a plentiful catch.
Some bonten are set up in the sea, while others are taken back to the lodging; the gohei are distributed to each household.
Against the backdrop of a legend about a calamity during the Genroku era and the divine virtue of Dewa Sanzan, the initiation of young men into their group is linked with prayers for the community.
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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