A traditional festival of Komaki-juku, brought to life by 4 dashi and karakuri puppets
Komaki Akiba Festival
The 2026 edition of Komaki Akiba Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/08/22 〜 2026/08/23Ended
- Season / frequency
- Around the Saturday and Sunday closest to August 20 each year / Every year
- Location
- Evening festival: South side of Lapio Komaki / Main festival: Komaki Shinmei Shrine
- Area
- Aichi Prefecture・Komaki City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 40 min–2 h · 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Komaki Akiba Festival features 4 parading through the town and karakuri puppet dedications at Komaki Shinmei Shrine. Highlights include the evening festival’s “Donten” and the gathering of all the dashi at the main festival.
About Komaki Akiba Festival
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Edotih Yno File:Dashigura(Komaki Akiha Festival, 2017.08.20).jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Komaki Akiba Festival is the festival of Akiba Shrine, a subsidiary shrine within the grounds of Komaki Shinmei Shrine.
It is associated with Akiba Sanshakubo, the deity of fire prevention, and the wish to protect Komaki-juku, a former post town, from fires.
This traditional local float festival has been passed down through generations, with townspeople pulling 4 dashi through the streets and dedicating karakuri puppets in the grounds of Shinmei Shrine.
All 4 dashi are designated Tangible Folk Cultural Properties by the city.
Source: 秋葉祭 | イベント検索 | 【公式】愛知県の観光サイトAichi Now / 小牧市指定有形民俗文化財 秋葉祭の山車／小牧市
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the “Donten,” when all 4 dashi gather for the evening festival and are spun around with their front wheels lifted into the air.
At the main festival, the Karako-sha, Seiō-sha, Yutori-sha, and Seiōbo-sha gather at Shinmei Shrine, where karakuri puppets are dedicated.
Enjoy different performances on each dashi: puppets beat drums, confetti represents rice ears, and another karako puppet appears from a peach.
A traditional festival of Komaki-juku, brought to life by 4 dashi and karakuri puppets
What to expect
At the evening festival, the dashi parade through their respective neighborhoods before all 4 gather south of Lapio for the “Donten” performance.
At the main festival, each dashi parades through its neighborhood and performs karakuri puppet dedications in front of the Yane-no-kami before heading to the grounds of Shinmei Shrine.
Ceremonies and karakuri puppet dedications take place in the , after which the dashi return to their respective neighborhoods.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The evening festival is held south of Lapio Komaki; the main festival is at Komaki Shinmei Shrine (153 Komaki 5-chome, Komaki, Aichi 485-0041).
- Train and bus
About a 15-minute walk from Komaki Station on the Meitetsu Komaki Line.
The Nakamachi stop on the Meitetsu Bus is a 5-minute walk away.
- By car
About 10 minutes from Komaki IC on the Tomei and Meishin Expressways.
- Parking
There is no parking at the festival venue.
Paid parking near Komaki Station is recommended.
Source: 小牧市観光協会 | 8月下旬 小牧神明社の秋葉祭
Address 153 Komaki 5-chome, Komaki, Aichi 485-0041
Dates and season
2026 Festival Information (the listed dates have passed)
In 2026, the evening festival was held on August 22 (Saturday), and the main festival on August 23 (Sunday).
At the evening festival, the dashi parade begins at 17:00, followed by the “Donten” performance at 19:45.
At the main festival, a dashi parade was scheduled for 10:00, followed by ceremonies and karakuri puppet dedications from 14:00.
The festival is listed as canceled in case of rain.
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 Aichi Prefecture / Komaki City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
According to the 2026 information, the festival is canceled in case of rain.
The venue differs between the Eve Festival and the Main Festival: the Eve Festival is held south of Lapio, and the Main Festival at Komaki Shinmeisha. Please check where to go for the event you wish to attend.
There is no parking at the venue, and visitors are advised to use public transportation.
Nearby attractions
メナード美術館
愛知県小牧市にある美術館
小牧山
愛知県小牧市の山
田縣神社
愛知県小牧市にある神社
Origins and History of Komaki Akiba Festival
The origins of the Akiba Festival are unclear, but it is thought to have become associated with the wish to protect Komaki-juku from fires, in connection with Akiba Shrine, which enshrines a deity of fire prevention.
The dashi are said to have begun when Naritaya Matashichi dedicated 1 dashi during the Tenmei era; there were later 4.
The festival was temporarily suspended after the dashi storehouses collapsed in the Isewan Typhoon. In Showa 52, new dashi storehouses were built and the festival resumed.
Official information
For festival information and directions to the venue, see “Akiba Festival at Komaki Shinmei Shrine” on the Komaki City Tourism Association website.
The Komaki City Tourism Association is listed as the contact, at 0568-77-5081.
An overview of the dashi as cultural properties is also available on Komaki City’s cultural properties page.
Komaki Akiba Festival at a Glance
Komaki Akiba Festival is a traditional festival in which 4 dashi designated as cultural properties parade through the town and gather at Shinmei Shrine.
Major highlights are the evening festival’s “Donten” and the karakuri puppet dedications at the main festival.
The 2026 festival was held on August 22 and 23. There is no dedicated parking near the venue, so visitors were advised to come by train or bus.
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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