Tahara’s prayers, carried on through the child-care ritual and Koza-style shishimai
Nenneko Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The first Sunday in December / Every year
- Location
- Konoha
- Area
- Wakayama Prefecture・Kushimoto Town(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h 30 min–4 h · bullet train + connecting 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/12
A traditional at Konoha Jinja in the Tahara district of Kushimoto Town, where a child-care ritual and Koza-style are offered.
About Nenneko Festival
Nenneko Festival is a reisai held at Konoha Jinja in the Tahara district of Kushimoto Town.
The child-care ritual is held early in the morning and is said to originate in a story about Empress Jingu raising her imperial child.
A local traditional event attended by worshippers from nearby areas, as the deity is revered as a protector of infants and young children.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the slow procession in which the dressed-up “Gohamochi girls” carry a tub containing rice and overhead.
Men and women of all ages with roles in the ceremony, from the priests onward, move forward one step at a time to the rhythm of bells. A traditional purification ceremony is held in front of the .
At the shrine office, a priest and a boy recite words for the child-care ritual, and a shishimai in the Koza style is also offered toward the end of the series of ceremonies.
Tahara’s prayers, carried on through the child-care ritual and Koza-style shishimai
What to expect
The festival begins early in the morning. During the de-yo-hairei ritual, people with assigned roles form a procession and move forward one step at a time to the rhythm of bells.
After a purification ceremony in front of the honden, a priest and a boy at the shrine office take turns placing a rolled straw mat, a red pillow, and a cloth shape representing breasts over their shoulders as they recite words for the child-care ritual.
A shishimai in the Koza style is offered from toward the end of the ceremonies.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Konoha Jinja — 551 Tahara, Kushimoto, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture
Address 551 Tahara, Kushimoto, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
The first Sunday in December
- Frequency
Every year
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 Wakayama Prefecture / Kushimoto Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Nearby attractions 소개 as places to visit include Takachi Mushikui-iwa, Space Interaction Hall Sora Miru, Kuryujima Island, Tamano-ura Beach, Butsubutsu River, Kashinozaki Lighthouse, Kujirayama Viewing Point on Kashinozaki, the Turkish Memorial Museum, Umi-Kongo, and Michi-no-Eki Taiji.
You can explore places related to nature and culture around Kushimoto Town alongside the festival.
串本応挙芦雪館
和歌山県串本町にある美術館
日米修交記念館
和歌山県串本町の紀伊大島にある博物館
Origins and History of Nenneko Festival
Nenneko Festival is said to have a tradition linking it to Empress Jingu.
Introduced as a festival for the child-care deity “Nenneko no Miya,” it has become a local event associated with faith in safe childbirth and child-rearing, and prayers for prosperity of descendants; it is said to have continued for several hundred years.
In Showa 56July 13, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Wakayama Prefecture.
Official information
Contact: Nanki Kushimoto Tourism Association, Koza 0735-72-0645 / Kushimoto Town Office, Industry Division, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Group 0735-62-0557
Nenneko Festival at a Glance
Nenneko Festival is a reisai held at Konoha Jinja in the Tahara district of Kushimoto Town. At its heart is a child-care ritual said to originate in a story about Empress Jingu.
The procession carrying a tub overhead, the child-care ritual recited at the shrine office, and the Koza-style shishimai offered toward the end of the ceremonies shape the festival’s sequence.
A prefecture-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property associated with gratitude for abundant harvests, faith in safe childbirth and child-rearing, and wishes for prosperity of descendants.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/12
