A Kyoto Setsubun festival to ward off misfortune with horoku offerings and Mibu Kyogen
Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival
The 2026 edition of Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/02/02 〜 2026/02/04Ended
- Season / frequency
- The event is held for 3 days every year around Setsubun. / It is held every year as an annual event.
- Location
- Mibu-dera Temple
- Area
- Kyoto Prefecture・Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 10 min–2 h 40 min · 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.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Participation fee
- The Mibu play “Setsubun” is open to the public free of charge. The special prayer in the main hall costs ¥10,000.
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival is a traditional Kyoto Setsubun event where people pray for protection from misfortune and good fortune through horoku offerings, Mibu Kyogen, and grand goma prayer ceremonies.
About Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival
The Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival is a Setsubun Buddhist service held at Mibu-dera Temple, located in Kyoto’s urakimon (the unlucky northeast direction), to pray for protection from misfortune and for good fortune.
A distinctive Mibu-dera custom is to offer unglazed clay plates inscribed with the ages and genders of family members or acquaintances, along with wishes.
Prayers, kyogen performances, grand goma prayer ceremonies, and other events take place over 3 days, and the festival is carried on as an annual event rooted in the local community.
Source: 節分会｜壬生寺
Festival highlights
One highlight is a performance of “Setsubun,” a play from Mibu Kyogen, an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, in which demons are driven away to ward off misfortune.
On the day before Setsubun, a procession of yamabushi from Shogo-in is followed by a grand goma prayer ceremony at 2 p.m.
Another distinctive custom links prayer with performing arts: horoku plates offered on the are later broken during the Mibu Kyogen play “Horoku-wari.”
A Kyoto Setsubun festival to ward off misfortune with horoku offerings and Mibu Kyogen
What to expect
Prayers for protection from misfortune, special prayers in the main hall, and the distribution of ofuda and omamori amulets take place on the temple grounds.
You can buy a horoku clay plate along the approach, write down the ages and genders of family members or acquaintances, along with your wishes, and offer it at the temple.
On the day before Setsubun, there is a procession of yamabushi, a grand goma prayer ceremony, and a performance of the Mibu Kyogen play “Setsubun.” On Setsubun itself, there are star festival prayers, prayers in the main hall, and other events.
How to take part
General visitors can observe prayers and events on the temple grounds and take part in the Setsubun Festival by making a horoku offering.
The Mibu Kyogen play “Setsubun” is open to the public free of charge.
However, the special prayer in the main hall and similar services require a separate application and prayer fee.
To make a horoku offering, buy an unglazed clay plate along the approach to the temple, write the ages and genders of family members or acquaintances, along with wishes, on it in ink, and present it to the temple.
If you wish to receive the special prayer in the main hall, you can use Mibu-dera Temple’s offering application information.
The Mibu Kyogen play “Setsubun” is open to the public free of charge, but a prayer fee is required if you wish to receive a prayer, depending on the service.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Mibudera (31 Mibu Naginomiya-cho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto 604-8821)
- Train and bus
Take the city bus to Mibudera-michi and walk about 3 minutes.
It is about a 10-minute walk from Hankyu Railway’s Omiya Station, about a 10-minute walk from the terminus of the Randen line at Shijo-Omiya Station, and about a 12-minute walk from Tanbaguchi Station on the JR Sagano Line.
- By car
The roads in the area are narrow, and large buses cannot enter.
Traffic restrictions apply to the roads in the area on the 2nd and 3rd.
- Parking
Mibudera has no parking lot; coin-operated parking is available nearby.
As parking is limited, visitors are advised not to come to the temple by car.
Source: 交通アクセス｜壬生寺
Address 31 Mibu Naginomiyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, 604-8821
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
The 2026 event was scheduled to run from February 2 (Monday) through the 4th (Wednesday).
On the 2nd, yamabushi perform a grand goma prayer ceremony from 2 p.m. The Mibu Kyogen play “Setsubun” is performed from 5 p.m., starting on the hour.
Event times and activities vary by day.
Source: 壬生寺 節分会 | ざ · Kyoto
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 Kyoto Prefecture / Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The times of the goma fire ritual and Mibu Kyogen performances vary by day, so plan your visit around the event you want to see.
Traffic restrictions are announced for the roads around the area on the 2nd and 3rd, so visitors arriving by car should take care.
There is a wheelchair-accessible restroom on the grounds, and assistance dogs are permitted.
Source: 壬生寺節分会 | イベント一覧 | 京都府観光連盟公式サイト
Nearby attractions
Near Mibu-dera Temple are the Mibu Shinsengumi Residence Ruins (Yagi House), associated with the Shinsengumi, and the Mibu-dera Historical Materials Room.
Nearby attractions also include Mibu Onsen Hananoyu, Kyoto Sangyo University Gallery, the Hata Family Residence, and the Ogawa Family Residence (Nijo Jinya).
You can also explore history and local culture associated with Mibu-dera Temple.
京都タワー
京都府京都市下京区にある塔
京都国立博物館
京都市にある国立博物館
京都国立近代美術館
京都市左京区岡崎にある美術館
京都国際マンガミュージアム
日本の京都府京都市中京区にある日本最大の漫画博物館
京都市美術館
京都市左京区岡崎にある美術館
京都府立植物園
京都市左京区にある植物園
京都鉄道博物館
京都府京都市下京区にある鉄道博物館
Fushimi Inari Taisha
京都市伏見区にある神社
元離宮二条城
京都市にある城郭及び元皇室関連施設
Yasaka Shrine
京都市東山区にある神社
円山公園
京都市にある公園
Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
京都市上京区にある神社
Origins and History of Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival
The Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival is said to have begun at the behest of Emperor Shirakawa and has a tradition spanning more than 900 years.
Mibu-dera Temple is located in Kyoto’s urakimon, and has long played a part in Kyoto’s Setsubun pilgrimage to ward off misfortune.
The faith of praying for protection from misfortune and good fortune is carried on today through the Mibu Kyogen play “Setsubun,” the breaking of horoku plates, grand goma prayer ceremonies, and other practices.
Source: 壬生寺｜【京都市公式】京都観光Navi
Official information
The official event information is available on Mibu-dera Temple’s website.
Mibu-dera Temple provides information about the origins of its Setsubun Festival, the events, prayers, and the offering of horoku clay plates.
Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival at a Glance
The Mibu-dera Setsubun Festival is a Setsubun event that brings together prayers for protection from misfortune, a grand goma prayer ceremony by yamabushi, the Mibu Kyogen play “Setsubun,” and horoku offerings.
The custom of offering horoku plates inscribed with ages, genders, and wishes reflects a faith unique to Mibu-dera Temple.
Mibu-dera Temple is in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, and can be reached by city bus or Hankyu Railway.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
Submit information or a correction Submit photos of this festival
