Asa’s daimyo procession, passed down through chants and roppō steps
Traditional Procession
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/11/08Scheduled
- Season / frequency
- Every November / Every year
- Location
- From Asa Station Front Shopping Street to Asa Tenmangu Shrine
- Area
- Yamaguchi Prefecture・Sanyo-Onoda City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 35 min–1 h 55 min · flight time only)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
- Participation / viewing
- Open to public participation
- Last updated
- 2026/10/24
Held to celebrate the autumn harvest and offered to Asa Tenmangu Shrine, the traditional procession is a daimyo procession that carries on distinctive chants and roppō steps.
About Traditional Procession
The traditional procession is an event held in the Asa district of Sanyo-Onoda City to celebrate the autumn harvest and make an offering to Asa Tenmangu Shrine.
Also known as a daimyo procession, it consists of “Dai-gyoji,” “Sho-gyoji,” and “Himekago,” which was added later.
It features distinctive chants and a walking dance with roppō steps, and the local community continues to preserve and pass it on.
Source: 古式行事 - 山口県山陽小野田市公式ホームページ
Festival highlights
Highlights include the roles in the procession and its distinctive chants and movements.
“Dai-gyoji,” “Sho-gyoji,” and “Himekago” form a procession, calling out as they walk and perform the distinctive roppō stepping dance.
At the 2024 presentation, Dai-gyoji and Sho-gyoji brandished their implements, followed by a lord on horseback and the Otohime procession.
Source: 写真で見る市長活動日誌（2024年11月） - 山口県山陽小野田市公式ホームページ
Asa’s daimyo procession, passed down through chants and roppō steps
What to expect
During the event, participants in the procession call out distinctive chants and perform the roppō stepping walk.
The procession travels through the area as an offering to Asa Tenmangu Shrine.
At the 2024 presentation, Dai-gyoji and Sho-gyoji brandished their implements, followed by a lord on horseback and the Otohime procession.
How to take part
In 2026, the Traditional Procession Preservation Society is recruiting participants for the daimyo procession, which will be performed at the Asa Autumn Festival on November 8.
Source: 古式行事保存会が大名行列の参加者募集 １１月８日の厚狭秋祭りで披露【山陽小野田】｜宇部日報デジタル SARATTO
Location and access
- Venue and address
From Asa Station Front Shopping Street (8-3 Asa Okita, Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi 757-0001), through Sencho, Honmachi, and Tonomachi, to Asa Tenmangu Shrine
Source: 厚狭秋まつり・厚狭天神秋まつり - 山口カレンダー
Address Yamaguchi 757-0001, Sanyo-Onoda, Asa Okita 8-3
Dates and season
November 8, 2026 (Sun) / Traditional procession performance 13:30 Departure from Asa Station
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 Yamaguchi Prefecture / Sanyo-Onoda City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
きららガラス未来館
山口県山陽小野田市にある学習施設
Origins and History of Traditional Procession
The exact time and purpose for which the traditional procession began as a daimyo procession are unclear. However, oral accounts and newspaper articles suggest that offerings in the form of a procession similar to today’s were made around Meiji 30.
After a period of decline, the Traditional Procession Preservation Society was established in Showa 52 to pass on the tradition.
In Heisei 16June 29, it was designated a municipal intangible folk cultural property.
Official information
Sanyo-Onoda City official website, “Traditional Procession”
Traditional Procession at a Glance
The traditional procession is a daimyo procession from the Asa district of Sanyo-Onoda City, offered to Asa Tenmangu Shrine in celebration of the autumn harvest.
Dai-gyoji, Sho-gyoji, Himekago, and others perform distinctive chants and the roppō stepping walk.
A form similar to today’s was seen around Meiji 30, and the procession has been passed down as a municipal intangible folk cultural property through the work of the preservation society.
In 2026, the procession is scheduled to depart from Asa Station Front on November 8.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/24
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