A festival in Murocho praying for a good harvest by breaking a container and sharing sekihan
Ohibikiwari
The 2026 edition of Ohibikiwari has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/10/18Ended
- Season / frequency
- The 3rd Sunday of October every year / Every year
- Location
- Muro Shinmeisha Shrine
- Area
- Aichi Prefecture・Nishio City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 40 min–2 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.
- Features
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
Ohibikiwari, carried on at Shinmeisha Shrine in Murocho, Nishio City, is an agricultural festival in which men believed to be in an unlucky year compete for a container of sekihan, then smash its lid with their fists. They pray for a good harvest and the safety of the household, then share the sekihan from the broken container.
About Ohibikiwari
Ohibikiwari is an agricultural festival event held during the autumn festival at Shinmeisha Shrine in Murocho, Nishio City.
Prayers are offered for a good harvest and the safety of the household. Locally, simply taking part is also regarded as a way to ward off misfortune.
This traditional local event sees men believed to be in an unlucky year compete for a container filled with sekihan brought down from before the shrine; finally, they smash its lid with their fists and share the sekihan.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the scene in which men wearing compete for the container brought down from before the shrine.
Parishioners wearing hakama sprinkle amazake on the men to stop them from taking the container, and the man who gets it escapes the amazake and heads to the open area.
The men then join together to smash the specially made lid with their fists.
A festival in Murocho praying for a good harvest by breaking a container and sharing sekihan
What to expect
During the event, the container is brought down from before the shrine, and men wearing happi compete to seize it.
As parishioners sprinkle amazake, the man who gets the container runs to the open area, while the men believed to be in an unlucky year smash the lid with their fists.
Once the container breaks, they eat the sekihan inside with their hands and share it with worshippers.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Muro Shinmeisha Shrine, 97 Kamiyashiki, Murocho, Nishio City (〒445-0033)
- Train and bus
From Nishio Station on the Meitetsu Nishio Line, transfer to the Meitetsu Bus Okazaki-Nishio Line (via Mushoba), get off at “Mushoba,” then walk 5 minutes / Rokumangoku Kururin Bus: Ietake / Meitetsu Tobu Kotsu Bus: Ietakemachi
- By car
Not listed
- Parking
None
Address 97 Kamiyashiki, Murocho, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
2026年は10月18日（日）に開催予定と案内され、祭礼は14:00頃、御櫃割は15:00頃とされています。
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 Aichi Prefecture / Nishio City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Nearby attractions include Nishio City Nature and Wildlife Park, Hirahara Genji Firefly Village, and Kogane Embankment.
Nishio City Nature and Wildlife Park protects the natural environment around Kokusa Pond and Mount Mando in the eastern hills, while Hirahara Genji Firefly Village has a wooden boardwalk.
Kogane Embankment, built by Kira Kozukenosuke Yoshihiro, is also known for its cherry blossoms.
伊文神社
日本の愛知県西尾市にある神社
西尾市岩瀬文庫
Museums
Toba Shinmeisha
愛知県西尾市鳥羽町にある神社
Origins and History of Ohibikiwari
Ohibikiwari is said to have begun in the late Edo period and has been passed down to the present with little change in form.
In the past, people used the way the container broke to predict whether the rice harvest would be good or poor; a year when it was hard to break was said to herald a good harvest.
Even today, sharing sekihan after breaking the container remains a distinctive part of the event.
Official information
A detailed page on the Nishio City Tourism Association’s official website, “Nishio’s Autumn Festivals,” is listed as a related link.
Basic information about the venue and event can also be found in Murocho Shinmeisha Shrine’s Ohibikiwari guide.
Ohibikiwari at a Glance
Ohibikiwari is an agricultural festival passed down at Shinmeisha Shrine in Murocho, Nishio City.
The men believed to be in an unlucky year compete for a container of sekihan, then smash its lid with their fists as parishioners sprinkle amazake.
After the container breaks, the sekihan is eaten and shared with worshippers.
The event is said to have begun in the late Edo period and embodies hopes for a good harvest, the safety of the household, and the warding off of misfortune.
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
