Kozuru Gion Festival

Festival highlights

The main highlight is the procession of mikoshi and dashi through Kozuru Shopping Street and the surrounding community.

The dashi feature festival music played on a large taiko drum, a shime-daiko drum, flutes, and gongs. Performances featuring Okame, Hyottoko, and fox characters take place on the upper dance platform.

One distinctive feature of the festival is that there are mikoshi for adults, junior high school students, and children.

Source: 小鶴祇園祭 - Wikipedia

Kozuru’s summer festival, with mikoshi and dashi processing to festival music

What to expect

On the first day, during Yoigion, the mikoshi and dashi leave the shrine and head to a temporary shrine. Once they arrive, people assigned to the watch keep vigil through the night.

On the 2nd day, Hongion begins with a community procession in the morning, followed by another procession of mikoshi and dashi in the evening.

Stage events follow, and the festival ends when the mikoshi returns to the shrine.

How to take part

The mikoshi and dashi processions are organized mainly by local groups and preservation societies that support the festival.

No information is provided on whether visitors may freely carry the mikoshi.

By contrast, anyone can reportedly take part in the stage karaoke contest by registering in advance.

You must register in advance to take part in the karaoke contest at the stage event.

For information about where to apply, deadlines, and recruitment of mikoshi and dashi carriers, check the announcements for the festival period.

Location and access

Venue and address

Around Kozuru Suwa Shrine and Kozuru Shopping Street.

The 2026 information lists the address as 1860 Kozuru, Ibaraki-machi, Higashiibaraki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Train and bus

Get off at JR Oarai Station.

Source: 小鶴祇園祭 | OMATSURI NAVI｜英語対応、日本のお祭り検索サイト「お祭りナビ」

Address 1860 Kozuru, Ibaraki Town, Higashiibaraki District, Ibaraki Prefecture

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Dates and season

Season

Jul

Frequency

Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

The mikoshi and dashi process through Kozuru Shopping Street and the surrounding community. On the festival day, part of the shopping street becomes a pedestrian zone.

In poor weather, the arrival at the temporary resting place and the time of entry into the shrine may be moved earlier.

Since 2023, the time slot for the procession through the community has been changed as a heatstroke-prevention measure, so please check the schedule on the day.

Nearby attractions

Kozuru Shopping Street and Nyoirinji Temple are near the festival grounds.

Kozuru Shopping Street is one of the few shopping streets in Ibaraki Town, lined with old-fashioned shops.

Nyoirinji Temple is mentioned in an introduction to the Kozuru district as a temple that also serves as a festival venue.

Origins and History of Kozuru Gion Festival

The Kozuru Gion Festival is said to have begun when Yasaka Shrine was established on the grounds of Suwa Shrine to pray for protection from illness and misfortune amid the spread of epidemics during the Meiji period.

Records of a festival in 1894 remain in the documents of Suwa Shrine.

The festival nearly died out once during the Taisho period, but young volunteers revived it, and it began to flourish again around the 1980s.

Kozuru Gion Festival at a Glance

The Kozuru Gion Festival is a traditional event held as a festival of Yasaka Shrine, where people pray for protection from illness and misfortune. Mikoshi and dashi process through Kozuru Shopping Street and the surrounding community.

Highlights include the mikoshi entering the temporary shrine and the overnight watch during Yoigion, the procession during Hongion, dashi carrying musicians and dancers, and stage events.

You can take part in the karaoke contest by registering in advance.