A Sayama shinji where eggplants are exchanged and prayers are offered for health and protection from illness through the summer
Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange
The 2026 edition of Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/08/22Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year, on the Saturday and Sunday around August 26 / Every year
- Location
- Irimagawa Suwa Shrine
- Area
- Saitama Prefecture・Sayama City(From Tokyo: approx. 30 min–1 h · 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.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
“Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange” is a held at Irimagawa Suwa Shrine. The custom of offering an eggplant before the deity and taking a different one home is still observed.
About Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange
“Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange” is a shinji held every year at Suwa Shrine in Irimagawa 4-chome, Sayama City.
People offer eggplants grown in their own fields at the shrine and receive different eggplants from before the deity in return.
The event is said to have begun because eggplants were believed to ward off summer illnesses, and the custom of praying for good health through the summer continues today.
Festival highlights
Its defining feature is exactly what its name suggests: offering an eggplant and receiving one from before the deity in return.
According to local information, in recent years most people buy their eggplants, which are used to ward off summer illnesses.
The shrine also has a shaped like an eggplant, a distinctive design associated with the event.
A Sayama shinji where eggplants are exchanged and prayers are offered for health and protection from illness through the summer
What to expect
The basic custom is to offer eggplants grown in your own field at the shrine and take home different eggplants that have been offered before the deity.
According to local information, the eggplant exchange takes place after the , and is also held on the evening of the first day.
The 2026 event information lists children’s activities, a mikoshi-carrying experience, and a dedication dance, in addition to the eggplant exchange after the reisai.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Irimagawa Suwa Shrine, 4-2-41 Irimagawa, Sayama City
Address 4-2-41 Irimagawa, Sayama City
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
The event is scheduled for August 22 (Saturday) in 2026.
Setup is planned for the morning, followed by the reisai in the early afternoon and the eggplant exchange after the reisai.
Children’s games are planned for late afternoon to evening, a mikoshi-carrying experience for the evening, and a dedication dance from evening into night.
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 Saitama Prefecture / Sayama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Follow the narrow path to the right of the shrine to find a stone shrine inscribed “Suizoson” at a spot where spring water flows out.
It is introduced as a place connected to legends about a former marsh.
Origins and History of Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange
It is also thought that retainers of the Takeda clan moved to the Irimagawa area during the Sengoku period and founded the shrine.
The origins of the eggplant exchange are unknown, but legend has it that a dragon god in a bottomless marsh ate an eggplant and recovered from a summer illness. Since then, people are said to have offered eggplants to drive away summer illnesses.
It was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Sayama City on June 2, 1997.
Official information
Sayama City Official Website, “Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange”
Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange at a Glance
Osuwa-sama’s Eggplant Exchange is a shinji passed down in Irimagawa, Sayama City, in which people offer eggplants and receive ones from before the deity in return.
It is rooted in a legend about driving away summer illnesses and is connected with the history of Suwa Shrine and the local community.
Designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Sayama City in 1997, the event is scheduled for August 22 in 2026. Information includes shinji after the reisai and a dedication dance.
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
