A custom in Oyama that carries on local prayers as Jizo visits homes
Nakagawara’s Traveling Jizo
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Year-round / Year-round custom
- Location
- Nakagawara area
- Area
- Tochigi Prefecture・Oyama City(From Tokyo: approx. 50 min–1 h · 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.
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
Nakagawara’s Traveling Jizo is one form of “processional Buddha” worship practiced year-round in Nakagawara, Oyama City. Jizo and Fudo statues visit homes in the community in turn, passing down the practice of making offerings and the associated faith.
About Nakagawara’s Traveling Jizo
Nakagawara’s Traveling Jizo is one form of “processional Buddha” worship practiced year-round in Nakagawara, Oyama City.
Jizo and Fudo statues are passed from one home to the next, in turn, throughout the community, with people making monetary offerings and praying for their repose.
This custom passes down local people’s simple faith in Jizo without changing its traditional form.
Festival highlights
The highlight is this quiet form of inheritance, as Jizo and Fudo statues visit homes in the community in turn.
At each home, people make a monetary offering and pray for the repose of the Jizo.
Rather than a flamboyant performance or a large procession, the defining feature of this custom is that faith continues as part of everyday life in people’s homes.
A custom in Oyama that carries on local prayers as Jizo visits homes
What to expect
In this custom, Jizo and Fudo statues visit homes throughout the community one by one, in turn.
At each home, people make a monetary offering and pray for the repose of the Jizo.
Through these visits and offerings, local people pass down their faith in Jizo.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Nakagawara area
Address Nakagawara area
Dates and season
Year-round
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 Tochigi Prefecture / Oyama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
小山市立博物館
栃木県小山市にある市立の博物館
小山市立車屋美術館
栃木県小山市にある美術館
Origins and History of Nakagawara’s Traveling Jizo
Nakagawara’s Traveling Jizo is a custom that conveys one aspect of folk belief, continuing without changing its traditional form.
The local people’s simple faith in Jizo is passed down as the statue visits homes in turn.
In Heisei 10February 27, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Oyama City and remains recognized as a valuable custom.
Official information
Oyama City Official Website, “Cultural Properties of Oyama City (Intangible Folk Cultural Properties)”
Nakagawara’s Traveling Jizo at a Glance
Nakagawara’s Traveling Jizo is a year-round practice of worshipping the “processional Buddhas” in the Nakagawara area.
Jizo and Fudo statues visit homes in turn, and at each home people make a monetary offering and pray for the repose of the Jizo.
Preserving its traditional form, this valuable custom was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Oyama City in Heisei 10February 27.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
