An ancient-style offering ritual on Noko Island, passed down through its four settlements
Noko Island Shirahige Shrine Okunchi Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on October 9 / Every year
- Location
- Shirahige Shrine
- Area
- Fukuoka Prefecture・Fukuoka City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 50 min–2 h 10 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.
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Noko Island Shirahige Shrine Okunchi Festival is a traditional Miyaza event on Noko Island in which the four settlements prepare offerings and carry them to Shirahige Shrine, led by a bearer of the .
About Noko Island Shirahige Shrine Okunchi Festival
The Noko Island Shirahige Shrine Okunchi Festival is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property designated by the city, held every year on October 9 at Shirahige Shrine in Noko, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City.
The island’s four settlements take part in the rites. Each prepares offerings and carries them to the shrine.
The event centers on a procession led by a young child carrying a gohei and the Miyaza, which preserves an old form.
Source: 福岡市 能古島白鬚神社おくんち行事 / 能古島白鬚神社おくんち行事 | 文化財情報検索 | 福岡市の文化財
Festival highlights
Highlights include the variety of offerings carried to the shrine from the four settlements and the Miyaza, which preserves an old form.
The offering is made by kneading cooked non-glutinous rice by hand, wrapping it in straw, and securing it with 24 musude ties.
Other offerings include morimon made with persimmons, chestnuts, and mandarins skewered on bamboo sticks, accompanied by small sea bream; these are presented during the festival ceremony.
An ancient-style offering ritual on Noko Island, passed down through its four settlements
What to expect
The event begins with preparations to make , followed by a ceremony to install them and Kirimori, the preparation of offerings. Miyaza Day follows.
At around 8 a.m. that day, the gohei bearer and offerings are sent from the Toumoto to the shrine, and the festival ceremony begins at 10 a.m.
After the offerings are presented, prayers are recited, the gohei is returned, tamagushi are offered, and the offerings are removed, a communal meal is held.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Shirahige Shrine (Noko, Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City).
- Train and bus
Take a ferry from Meinohama to Noko Island. Shirahige Shrine is about a 7-minute walk from Noko Island Ferry Terminal.
Another guide says it is about a 5-minute walk from the Nishitetsu Bus stop Gyokyo-mae.
Source: 白鬚神社 | 観光スポット一覧 | 【公式】福岡市観光情報サイト よかなび / 白鬚神社 | 観光スポット | 【公式】福岡県の観光/旅行情報サイト「クロスロードふくおか」
Event venue 福岡県福岡市 白鬚神社
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
- Season
Every year on October 9
- 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 Fukuoka Prefecture / Fukuoka City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Around the venue are the Noko Museum and historic sites and cultural facilities on Noko Island.
The Noko Museum features a large model of the Chikuzen Gokaura trading ships, materials related to the father-and-son scholars Kamei Nanmei and Shoyo, and works by artists from Noko Island.
Next to Noko Island Ferry Terminal is Nokonoichi, which has a tourist information center, local products for sale, and light meals.
Sumiyoshi Shrine
福岡県福岡市博多区住吉にある神社
博多ポートタワー
博多港にあるタワー
Ohori Park
福岡市中央区の公園
写真：Tzuhsun Hsu from Taipei, Taiwan / CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo source ·
志賀海神社
福岡県福岡市東区にある神社
海の中道海浜公園
福岡県福岡市東区にある国営公園
福岡アジア美術館
福岡市博多区にある美術館
福岡タワー
福岡市早良区の電波塔
福岡城
福岡市中央区にある城
福岡市動植物園
福岡市の動物園及び植物園
福岡市博物館
福岡市早良区にある博物館
福岡市美術館
福岡市中央区の大濠公園にある美術館
Origins and History of Noko Island Shirahige Shrine Okunchi Festival
The origins of Shirahige Shrine are unknown, but it is said to have been founded during the Nara period and is said to have stood at its current location during the Keicho era.
Okunchi is one of the annual festivals and is distinguished from the “Omatsuri” on November 28.
The event retains folk customs from before the modern era and an atmosphere of the early modern period, and has been passed down in a form that includes the Miyaza.
Official information
The official Fukuoka City guide provides an overview of the Shirahige Shrine Okunchi Festival and its location.
Detailed information about the rites as a cultural property is available through the Fukuoka City Cultural Property Information Search.
Noko Island Shirahige Shrine Okunchi Festival at a Glance
The Noko Island Shirahige Shrine Okunchi Festival is a traditional event in which each of the four settlements prepares offerings and carries them to Shirahige Shrine, led by a bearer of the gohei.
At the Miyaza, distinctive offerings are presented, including offerings wrapped in straw and morimon decorated with fruit.
Held every year on October 9, this event is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the city and conveys the local ritual culture preserved on Noko Island.
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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