A Little New Year observance in Semboku City, entrusting wishes to a sacred katsura tree
Nakazato Kandekko-age Event
The 2026 edition of Nakazato Kandekko-age Event has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/03/03Ended
- Season / frequency
- day 15 of lunar month 1 / Every year
- Location
- In front of the Nakazato Sae-no-Kami Hall
- Area
- Akita Prefecture・Semboku City(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h 40 min–4 h 10 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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Nakazato Kandekko-age event, passed down in Nishiki-machi, Semboku City, is a Little New Year observance in which offerings shaped like a hoe and a phallus are thrown onto a sacred katsura tree. Wishes for a good harvest, good matches, children, and family safety are expressed through a distinctive local ritual.
About Nakazato Kandekko-age Event
The Nakazato Kandekko-age event is a Little New Year observance held in the Nakazato area of Nishiki-machi, Semboku City, on day 15 of lunar month 1.
A small hoe made from magnolia wood and a phallus made from walnut wood are paired with a and offered to Sae-no-Kami.
A defining feature is throwing the offerings onto the sacred katsura tree while making wishes for the year, including a good harvest, good matches, children, and family safety.
It is listed as a nationally recorded intangible folk cultural property and is also designated as an intangible folk cultural property by the prefecture.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the moment when the hoe-shaped and phallic-shaped offerings, tied to either end of a shimenawa, are thrown onto a branch of the sacred katsura tree.
It is said that wishes come true if an offering lands as intended, and that moving one that has landed to a fruit tree later will lead to a plentiful harvest.
The katsura is a large tree estimated to be 470 years old and 16.1 meters tall.
After the throwing ritual, rice straw is also burned in a nearby rice field in a fire ritual called “mushiyaki.”
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
A Little New Year observance in Semboku City, entrusting wishes to a sacred katsura tree
What to expect
The event begins with a gathering at the community hall, followed by the mushiyaki fire ritual, in which rice straw is burned in a nearby rice field.
Afterward, a Shinto ceremony is held at Sae-no-Kami Hall, and the Kandekko, with offerings tied to either end of a shimenawa, is thrown onto a branch of the katsura tree.
The offerings are made before the event day. The hoe model is made from magnolia wood, and the phallic-shaped offering is made from walnut wood.
There is also a tradition that when the shimenawa that caught on the tree later falls, it is picked up and hung on a fruit tree at home.
Source: 中里のカンデッコあげ行事 - 文化庁広報誌 ぶんかる
How to take part
During the event, men from the village make kandekko, pray at Sainokamido, and then throw them up into the katsura tree.
If you are planning to observe, you can time your visit to coincide with the shinji and the offering-throwing at the venue.
You should contact the organisers in advance to confirm the conditions for taking part in the offerings or throwing.
The kandekko, the central feature of the event, is made locally before the day of the event and thrown into the katsura tree after the shinji.
According to the 2026 event information, people gather at the hall and roast the offerings at around 17:30, followed by the shinji and throwing at around 18:00.
If you wish to participate or make an offering, please follow the instructions provided at the venue.
Location and access
- Venue and address
In front of Nakazato Sae-no-Kami Hall (101-1 Nakajima, Hinokinai, Nishiki-machi, Semboku City).
The large katsura tree beside the national highway is a landmark, and the venue is next to Nunoya Store.
- Train and bus
Take the Akita Nairiku Line from Kakunodate Station to Nakazato Station, then walk 2 minutes.
The journey is listed as taking about 40 minutes.
- By car
From Kakunodate, take National Route 105 toward Ani; the drive takes about 30 minutes.
Address 101-1 Nakajima, Hinokinai, Nishiki-machi, Semboku City, Akita Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 Event Information (the listed dates have passed)
The 2026 event was scheduled for March 3 (Tuesday).
The event date was day 15 of lunar month 1, with gathering at the community hall and the mushiyaki fire ritual scheduled for around 5:30 p.m., followed by the Shinto ceremony and throwing ritual at around 6 p.m.
The event takes place on the night of Little New Year and is held each year according to the lunar calendar.
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 Akita Prefecture / Semboku City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
When planning your visit, it is a good idea to check the sequence of events, as the mushiyaki, Shinto ceremony, and throwing ritual take place one after another in the evening.
A fire ritual burning rice straw and a ritual of throwing offerings onto a katsura tree are held on the same day.
The venue is in front of Nakazato Sae-no-Kami Hall, and the katsura tree beside the national highway is a landmark.
Nearby attractions
Sightseeing spots in the Nishiki area, where the event takes place, include the katakuri flower colony, Katakuri-kan, Nishiki Onsen Fureai Plaza “Kurion,” and the milk-ginkgo tree at Shinz山寺.
Events in the same Nishiki area are also featured, including Kamihinokinai Paper Balloon Launch and Tozawa Sasara.
It can be considered as a destination for experiencing the culture and nature of the Nishiki area alongside the Nakazato Kandekko-age event.
Check each facility’s own information for its operating status and event schedule.
Source: 西木エリア 観光情報 | 仙北市
仙北市立角館樺細工伝承館
秋田県仙北市の観光施設
写真：Wiiii / CC BY-SA 3.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
仙北市立角館町平福記念美術館
秋田県仙北市にある公立美術館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
大村美術館
秋田県仙北市角館町にあるガラス工芸の美術館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
新潮社記念文学館
日本の秋田県仙北市にある文学館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
田沢湖クニマス未来館
秋田県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Nakazato Kandekko-age Event
The origin of this event is unknown.
It has been passed down as an example of customs observed at Little New Year to pray for abundant harvests, fertility, and the warding off of misfortune. In Showa 61 (1986), it was selected as an “intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as documentation should be taken.”
It is reported that in the past, men would each go out late at night to throw the offerings, whereas today everyone throws them together at the same time.
A custom is also said to have existed in which women hung offerings to tell fortunes about romance or ward off misfortune.
Official information
Event information is available on Semboku City’s tourism information page.
The listed contacts are the Nishiki Tourist Information Center (0187-42-8480) and the Semboku City Department of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Cultural Properties Protection Office (0187-43-3384).
The venue is in front of Nakazato Sae-no-Kami Hall, and the 2026 event information listed a date of March 3 (Tuesday).
Nakazato Kandekko-age Event at a Glance
The Nakazato Kandekko-age event is a Little New Year observance held in Nishiki-machi, Semboku City, on day 15 of lunar month 1.
A hoe-shaped offering and a phallic-shaped offering are tied to a shimenawa and thrown onto the sacred katsura tree to pray for a good harvest, good matches, children, and family safety.
In 2026, the mushiyaki, Shinto ceremony, and throwing ritual were scheduled for March 3.
This event, also documented as a cultural property, conveys local wishes and agricultural culture.
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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