A night of entrusting Miyajima's prayers and gratitude to handmade boats carrying lights
Miyajima's Tanomosan
The 2026 edition of Miyajima's Tanomosan has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/09/11Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year on day 1 of lunar month 8 (the date on the Gregorian calendar varies by year, generally from late August to mid-September) / Once a year
- Location
- Shinomiya Shrine, Momijidani Park, and the coast around Itsukushima Shrine
- Area
- Hiroshima Prefecture・Hatsukaichi City(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h 50 min–4 h 20 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.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
Held on the first day of the eighth lunar month, this event sees families on Miyajima send handmade Tanomo boats out to sea, giving thanks for the autumn harvest and praying for their children to grow up healthy.
About Miyajima's Tanomosan
Miyajima's Tanomosan is an annual event of purification and gratitude held on the night of the first day of the eighth lunar month.
Families on Miyajima load their handmade Tanomo boats with rice-flour figures and offerings, have them purified at Shinomiya Shrine, then send them from the shore near Itsukushima Shrine toward Ono on the opposite shore.
The event brings together gratitude for the people across the water who supplied rice and vegetables when farming was prohibited on the island, hopes for the autumn harvest, and wishes for children to grow up healthy.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the Tanomo boats, each thoughtfully decorated by its family.
The boats are adorned with cabin-like structures, sails of colored paper, lanterns, streamers, and flags; the sails bear family crests, children's names, and boat names.
Inside each boat are shinko-dough figures and dogs representing the number of family members, a long-bodied drum, and seasonal vegetables and fruit. At night, boats bearing candlelight and lanterns pass by the foot of the Great and drift toward the opposite shore.
A night of entrusting Miyajima's prayers and gratitude to handmade boats carrying lights
What to expect
In the evening, families carry their Tanomo boats to Shinomiya Shrine in Momijidani, where the boats are lined up in the .
After sunset, when the lanterns are lit, a performs a purification rite. Families with boats pray for their children's safe and healthy growth, the safety of their households, and a bountiful harvest.
After the ceremony, they carry the boats to the shore and set them adrift from a location chosen according to the wind direction and tidal currents.
How to take part
Visitors can watch the boats gather in the grounds of Shinomiya Shrine, attend the , and see the boats set adrift from the shore.
Families on Miyajima with children make Tanomo boats by hand and offer them to the shrine; visitors generally participate as spectators.
Please refrain from using flash during the shinji, keep your distance from families and their boats, and do not touch the boats without permission.
Viewing is open to the public.
Families on Miyajima with children make Tanomo boats for their own children; visitors are not invited to take part in making them.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Shinomiya Shrine, Momijidani Park, and the coast around Itsukushima Shrine / Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture
- Train and bus
Take the JR Sanyo Main Line or Hiroshima Electric Railway Miyajima Line to Miyajimaguchi, then take a ferry to Miyajima (about 10 minutes) / Walk from Miyajima Pier to Shinomiya Shrine in Momijidani
- Parking
None
Address Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the published dates have passed)
In 2026, the event was held on September 11 (Friday), with Tanomo boats gathering from around 18:00.
The boats were scheduled to be set adrift from around the end of the purification rite, which began at 20:00, from places such as Hiyoke-mae at Itsukushima Shrine, Mikasahama, and Nishimatsubara.
It is held every year on day 1 of lunar month 8.
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 Hiroshima Prefecture / Hatsukaichi City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
Please refrain from using flash during the shinji and keep your distance from families and their Tanomo boats.
As the boats are treasured possessions belonging to individual families, please take care not to touch them without permission.
If you watch from the shore, it's a good idea to bring something to protect yourself from mosquitoes.
Nearby attractions
Momijidani Park, where Shinomiya Shrine is located, is known for its autumn foliage.
The Miyajima History and Folklore Museum, a little over a 10-minute walk south of Shinomiya Shrine, has exhibits on past Tanomo boats and Miyajima's annual events.
Parts of the museum buildings are the former main house and storehouse of the Egami family, and are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan.
ウッドワン美術館
広島県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
三翁神社
広島県廿日市市宮島町にある神社
厳島神社
広島県廿日市市の厳島（宮島）にある神社
宮島水族館
広島県廿日市市にある水族館
広島大学大学院統合生命科学研究科附属宮島自然植物実験所
広島県廿日市市の厳島にある教育・研究施設
速谷神社
廿日市市にある神社
Origins and History of Miyajima's Tanomosan
Before the Meiji period, the whole island of Miyajima was revered as a , so farming was prohibited and rice and vegetables were brought from Ono on the opposite shore.
Tanomosan took shape amid this way of life as an event in which people entrusted their gratitude to the opposite shore and their hopes for the autumn harvest to the boats.
On March 11, 2009, it was selected by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which measures such as the creation of a record should be undertaken.
Miyajima's Tanomosan at a Glance
Miyajima's Tanomosan is an event held on the night of the first day of the eighth lunar month. Families across Miyajima bring their handmade Tanomo boats to Shinomiya Shrine, where they are purified before being sent out to sea.
The boats are decorated with rice-flour figures and offerings, as well as family names and crests. They express gratitude for the autumn harvest and wishes for children's growth, household safety, and a bountiful harvest.
In 2009, it was selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which a record should be created.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
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Article updated: 2026/11/11
