A children’s festival of riverside lights and fireworks, with prayers for safety in the water
The Enko Festival along the Goto River in Nankoku City
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- First Saturday of June each year / Every year
- Location
- At the foot of bridges in areas such as the Maehama and Hisaeda districts along the Goto River
- Area
- Kochi Prefecture・Nankoku City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 40 min · flight time only)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
- Age restrictions
- The event is led by children from first grade of elementary school through third year of junior high school.
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
An early-summer event along the Goto River in Nankoku City, where people enshrine the river monster Enko and children pray for protection from water-related accidents.
About The Enko Festival along the Goto River in Nankoku City
The Enko Festival along the Goto River in Nankoku City is an event held before summer water activities begin, in which children enshrine Enko, a water monster, and pray for protection from water-related accidents.
Enko is said to resemble a kappa, and a shobu hut and small altar are set up by the river.
The tradition has been passed down in districts and groups along the Goto River, and its local character is also reflected in the fact that children handle everything from preparations to cleanup.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
Festival highlights
Highlights include shobu huts built by the river and at the foot of bridges, and lanterns decorating the bridges and stretching across the river.
At dusk, cucumbers, summer vegetables, and sacred sake are among the offerings placed in the huts, followed by fireworks beneath the glowing lights.
In some groups, you can also see “Enko’s River Journey,” in which candle flames are sent floating down the river, as well as children’s sumo.
A children’s festival of riverside lights and fireworks, with prayers for safety in the water
What to expect
A few days before the event, children go around to homes in their group to collect money for expenses.
On the day, they clean the river and cut shobu in the early morning, build a shobu hut around midday, then make offerings and light lanterns from evening onward before enjoying fireworks.
The event concludes when the fireworks end. The next day, the hut is dismantled and the shobu is released into the river.
How to take part
The event is led by local children from first grade of elementary school through third year of junior high school.
Centered around the oldest child, known as the “Taisho,” the children handle everything from preparations and carrying out the festival to cleanup.
大人は小屋を訪れて供物をいただき、御神酒を飲み、お参りします。
Location and access
- Venue and address
The event takes place at the foot of bridges along the Goto River in southern Nankoku City, Kochi Prefecture, including in the Maehama and Hisaeda districts.
Source: えんこう祭 - 南国市役所
Address Maehama and Hisaeda districts, Nankoku City, Kochi Prefecture
Dates and season
It is usually held on the first Saturday of June.
On the day of the event, the program proceeds from cleaning the river and cutting irises early in the morning, to building the iris hut at midday, and then offerings, lanterns, and fireworks from the evening onward.
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 Kochi Prefecture / Nankoku City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The venues are spread across places such as the foot of bridges along the Goto River, and the events and hut designs vary by group.
Lanterns are lit and fireworks are set off from evening into the night. Please follow local guidance when watching, and avoid disturbing nearby residents or the event.
川辺で行われる行事です。
Nearby attractions
高知県立埋蔵文化財センター
高知県南国市に所在する、県の外郭団体が運営する埋蔵文化財センター。
高知県立歴史民俗資料館
高知県南国市にある博物館
Origins and History of The Enko Festival along the Goto River in Nankoku City
It is not clear when the Enko Festival along the Goto River began.
Meanwhile, a diary entry from June 16 in 1806 (Bunka 3) records the Saru-emon Festival being held with lanterns hung along a riverbank in the castle town of Kochi, showing that the festival was held in Tosa at the time.
The present-day event was selected in March 2011 (Heisei 23) as an intangible folk cultural property for which the government should take measures to document it.
Official information
Nankoku City, where the event is held, lists the Enko Festival as a city event and gives the first Saturday of June as its date, with Maehama and Hisaeda as its location.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties and Other Heritage provides information about the event, the areas where it has been passed down, and its selection as a cultural property.
Detailed information about the event’s origins and current practice is mainly available from Nankoku City and the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
The Enko Festival along the Goto River in Nankoku City at a Glance
The Enko Festival along the Goto River in Nankoku City is a local event held before summer, in which children enshrine Enko, a water monster, and pray for protection from water-related accidents.
Cleaning the river, building a shobu hut, making offerings, hanging lanterns, and setting off fireworks form a sequence of events.
毎年6月第一土曜日が例年の開催日です。
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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