The festival floats of Matsubara district, with their ringing gongs and drums, and the festival at Shomu Tenno Shrine
Matsubara Ishidori Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year, from the Friday to Sunday around July 16 / Every year
- Location
- Shomu Tenno Shrine
- Area
- Mie Prefecture・Yokkaichi 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
Matsubara Ishidori Festival is a festival held in the Matsubara district of the Tomisuhara area in northern Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. Its formal name is the Shomu Tenno Shrine Grand Festival, and festival floats carrying gongs and drums are at its heart. Floats from districts such as Matsuichi, Matsuni, Matsusan, Toyocho, and Nishimotocho bring the local festival to life.
About Matsubara Ishidori Festival
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Konbinikawakami File:Matubaraisi.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Matsubara Ishidori Festival is a festival held in the Matsubara district of the Tomisuhara area in northern Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. Its formal name is the Shomu Tenno Shrine Grand Festival.
As a local event honoring Shomu Tenno Shrine as the community’s tutelary deity, festival floats carrying gongs and drums take part.
Another distinctive feature is that floats from each district, including Matsuichi, Matsuni, Matsusan, Toyocho, and Nishimotocho, make up the festival procession.
Source: 聖武天皇社 | 松原の石取祭｜天皇神社と万葉史跡｜三重県四日市 / 松原の石取祭 - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
A highlight is the lively music of gongs and drums played by multiple festival floats.
The floats are decorated with lanterns and curtains bearing their district names, as well as carvings. Visitors can enjoy the distinct designs, such as the “Tiger Facing Forward amid Bamboo Grass” on Matsuni’s float and the “Cloud Dragon” on Matsusan’s.
Only Matsuichi performs the seven-beat rhythm; the other floats are known for the five-beat rhythm.
The festival floats of Matsubara district, with their ringing gongs and drums, and the festival at Shomu Tenno Shrine
What to expect
The festival proceeds in this order: purification rites, a lantern signal from the festival leader, the opening drumbeat, a parade around town, and the main festival.
The festival is described as proceeding from the opening drumbeat on Friday to the eve-of-festival celebration and Shingaku on Saturday, followed by the main festival and Hongaku on Sunday.
The festival includes a parade around town with the floats, culminating on the final day in the annual grand festival at Shomu Tenno Shrine.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Shomu Tenno Shrine (5-8 Matsubaracho, Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture 510-8015).
- Train and bus
It is a 9-minute walk from Tomita Station on the JR Kansai Main Line and a 12-minute walk from Tomita Station on the Kintetsu Nagoya Line.
- Parking
Parking is available, but the lot may be closed during festival events, so visitors are advised to use public transportation.
Address 5-8 Matsubaracho, Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture 510-8015
Dates and season
- Season
Every year, from the Friday to Sunday around July 16
- 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 / Yokkaichi City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
At Shomu Tenno Shrine, visitors are guided to follow a one-way route when paying their respects.
Visitors are asked to wait by the markers on the approach, avoid using a ladle at the purification basin, and dry their hands with the paper provided.
Hand sanitizer is also available on the grounds, so please follow the instructions at the shrine.
Nearby attractions
On the grounds of Shomu Tenno Shrine is a Manyo poetry monument inscribed with a poem by Emperor Shomu.
This waka poetry monument was erected in 1955 (Showa 30), and in Showa 31, the Manyo historic site where it stands was designated a municipal cultural property by Yokkaichi City.
Other points of interest on the grounds include Shiratama Ryujinja Shrine, a strength stone, and the Ishikui Pine.
四日市市立博物館
三重県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
澄懐堂美術館
三重県四日市市にある美術館
鳥出神社
三重県四日市市富田にある神社
Origins and History of Matsubara Ishidori Festival
Local tradition holds that Emperor Shomu stopped at Matsubara Village in Asake District while traveling to Ise Province in Tenpyo 12 (740), during the Nara period.
Against the backdrop of this tale, Shomu Tenno Shrine is said to have been established during the Kamakura period.
Ishidori Festival evolved from a festival featuring drums and gongs through smaller floats used from the Taisho period to the early Showa period, taking its present form with today’s festival floats.
Official information
Official information is available on the Shomu Tenno Shrine website.
The website introduces Matsubara Ishidori Festival as the annual grand festival of Shomu Tenno Shrine and provides information about the festival schedule, shrine visit guidance, location, and transportation.
Matsubara Ishidori Festival at a Glance
Matsubara Ishidori Festival is the annual grand festival of Shomu Tenno Shrine, held in the Matsubara district of Yokkaichi.
The festival floats ring out with gongs and drums, shaping the procession of events from the opening drumbeat through the parade around town to the main festival.
You can also take note of the history of Shomu Tenno Shrine, the Manyo poetry monument, and the designs on the floats from each district.
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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