3 days of mikoshi processions and ner i floats bringing Edo festival traditions to life
Enshu Yokosuka Mikuma Shrine Grand Festival
The 2026 edition of Enshu Yokosuka Mikuma Shrine Grand Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/04/03 〜 2026/04/05Ended
- Season / frequency
- The 1st Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of April each year / Every year
- Location
- Around Mikuma Shrine and the Enshu Yokosuka area
- Area
- Shizuoka Prefecture・Kakegawa City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h–1 h 30 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
- Free admission
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This traditional festival is centered around Mikuma Shrine in Yokosuka, Kakegawa City, with a and 13 ner i floats making their way through town. and festival music carrying on Edo festival traditions, along with prayers for conception, take place over 3 days.
About Enshu Yokosuka Mikuma Shrine Grand Festival
The Enshu Yokosuka Mikuma Shrine Grand Festival is held around Mikuma Shrine in Yokosuka, Kakegawa City.
Accompanying the mikoshi procession, 13 ner i floats are pulled through the neighborhoods, and festival music performed on flutes and drums is dedicated.
Combining shrine rites with a procession through town, the festival continues to preserve an old festival tradition connected to Edo’s Tenka Matsuri.
Prayers for conception and the Miko-daki ritual are also held, making this a grand festival where faith and local tradition come together.
Source: 遠州横須賀三熊野神社大祭 - 観光サイト
Festival highlights
One highlight is the gathering of 13 ner i floats at Mikuma Shrine, where they perform festival music.
The ner i is a distinctive type of dashi called an ipponbashira mando-gata, retaining a form almost identical to that depicted in picture scrolls of the Tenka Matsuri in the mid-Edo period.
At night, lantern-lit ner i floats make their way through town as flutes, drums, and the shouts of “Shita! Shita!” fill the streets.
On the final day, all the ner i floats from the neighborhoods gather at the shrine for the festival’s finale.
Source: 行事と日程 | 三熊野神社大祭
3 days of mikoshi processions and ner i floats bringing Edo festival traditions to life
What to expect
On the first day, ner i floats process through each neighborhood, heralding the start of the festival from late afternoon into the evening.
On Saturday, a draw determines the order of the procession, festival music is dedicated, each neighborhood takes its turn in assigned roles, and the night festival is held.
On Sunday, the grand annual festival rites, the Shinko Festival, the mikoshi procession, prayers for conception, and performances of the Jidome Mai and Taasobi dances take place, followed by the festival’s finale at night.
The ner i processions and shrine rites have a different character each day.
How to take part
Visitors can watch the event.
参加費：観覧無料
Location and access
- Venue and address
The ner i floats process along a road about 1 kilometer from east to west, centered around Mikuma Shrine (1653-1 Nishibuchi, Yokosuka, Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture).
- Train and bus
The nearest stations are JR Fukuroi Station and JR Kakegawa Station.
From Fukuroi Station, take the Akiba-Chuen Line bus bound for “Daito Branch Office” and get off at “Shin-Yokosuka” or “Yokosuka Shako.”
A shuttle bus also runs between the south exit of JR Kakegawa Station and the Osuka Branch Office on April 4, 2026 and the 5th.
- By car
It is about 20 minutes from the Tomei Expressway’s Fukuroi IC and about 20 minutes from its Kakegawa IC.
- Parking
For 2026, temporary free parking is listed at locations including the Osuka Branch Office staff parking lot, Osuka Central Community Center parking lot, Osuka School Lunch Center parking lot, Yokosuka Castle Ruins entrance parking lot, and Sannomaru Parking Lot.
Traffic restrictions apply during the festival. Visitors are advised that the Sannomaru Parking Lot will be closed to traffic from around 2 p.m. until around 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Source: 交通 | 三熊野神社大祭
Address 1653-1 Nishibuchi, Yokosuka, Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 Festival Information (The listed dates have passed)
The 2026 festival was announced as scheduled to take place from April 3 (Fri) to April 5 (Sun).
On the first day, the neri are paraded from noon. On the 4th (Sat), festival is offered, each neighborhood’s role assignments take place, and the night festival is held.
On the 5th (Sun), the and shinkosai, mikoshi togyo, prayers for fertility, jigurumai and ta-asobi , and the finale are scheduled.
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 Shizuoka Prefecture / Kakegawa City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
During the festival, traffic restrictions, including road closures, are enforced on major roads in the Yokosuka area as the neri parade.
Saturday’s night festival and Sunday’s finale are especially crowded. At the finale, all 13 neris gather at Mikuma Kumano Shrine.
If you visit with children, be sure to keep a close eye on them during the procession.
When taking photos or videos, choose a spot that does not obstruct passage, and remain quiet during .
Source: よくある質問 | 三熊野神社大祭
Nearby attractions
The area around the festival venue is filled with the streets of Enshu Yokosuka, which retain traces of the Edo period.
Stroll along streets lined with storehouses and traditional merchant houses to experience the atmosphere of this castle town, where the festival has been passed down through generations.
Yokosuka Castle Ruins are within walking distance of Mikuma Shrine and are presented as a place to explore the history of Yokosuka Domain and its festival culture.
Kakegawa Castle and Kakegawa tea are also listed as nearby attractions in Kakegawa City.
事任八幡宮
静岡県掛川市にある神社
掛川城
静岡県掛川市にあった城
掛川市二の丸美術館
静岡県掛川市掛川1142-1にある公立の美術館
高天神城
静岡県掛川市の城
Origins and History of Enshu Yokosuka Mikuma Shrine Grand Festival
The origins of the Mikuma Shrine Grand Festival date back to the Edo period. A festival centered on dance is said to have existed by around 1690, during the Genroku era.
Around 1720, during the Kyoho era, Naohisa Nishio, lord of Yokosuka Castle, introduced Edo festival traditions such as the Kanda Festival and Sanno Festival, laying the foundations for the festival’s current form.
The ner i floats and festival music carry on this tradition, and the Sansha Festival Music was designated Shizuoka Prefecture’s first Intangible Cultural Property in 1955.
Official information
Dates, venues, transportation, parking, and highlights are listed on Kakegawa City’s tourism website.
The festival’s dedicated website provides information on transportation to the venue, temporary parking, visitor guidelines, and the event schedule.
The 2026 information lists events from April 3 through the 5th, as well as shuttle bus service on the 4th and 5th.
Enshu Yokosuka Mikuma Shrine Grand Festival at a Glance
The Enshu Yokosuka Mikuma Shrine Grand Festival in Yokosuka, Kakegawa City, brings together a mikoshi, 13 ner i floats, festival music, and prayers for conception.
For 2026, the festival was listed as scheduled to take place from April 3 through the 5th in the castle town centered around Mikuma Shrine.
In addition to daytime shrine rites and performances dedicated to the shrine, the lantern-lit nighttime procession and the festival’s finale are major highlights.
Be aware of traffic restrictions and crowds when visiting, and consider using public transportation.
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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