A traditional ritual in which 6 horse figures send Honmoku’s misfortunes out to sea
Ouma Nagashi
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The first or second Sunday in August / Every year
- Location
- Honmoku / Honmoku Fishing Port
- Area
- Kanagawa Prefecture・Yokohama 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/24
Ouma Nagashi, a tradition of Honmoku, is a in which local misfortunes are entrusted to 6 figures made from kaya grass. After processing through the neighborhood, they are sent out to sea.
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Vindlys File:OUMA.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Vindlys File:Hommoku Fishing Port.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.About Ouma Nagashi
Ouma Nagashi is a Shinto ritual held as part of the at Honmoku Jinja.
6 horse-shaped figures with horse heads and turtle-shaped bodies are made from kaya grass, and local misfortunes are entrusted to them before they are sent out to sea off Honmoku.
The ritual has been passed down since Eiroku 9 (1566) and is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Kanagawa Prefecture.
This local festival brings together Honmoku’s faith and its coastal way of life.
Source: お馬流し – 本牧神社公式ウェブサイト / 各団体からのコメント（本牧お馬流し保存会（本牧神社）より） - 神奈川県ホームページ
Festival highlights
A highlight is the solemn passing of the 6 horse figures overhead from person to person, without lowering them below eye level.
During the neighborhood procession, people entrust the figures with local misfortunes as they are welcomed by , , and .
At the fishing port, participants switch from walking slowly up to the festival boat to suddenly dashing toward it in the “seme,” making the solemnity and vigor of the ritual stand out.
The sight of the boat carrying the figures heading offshore is another scene unique to this ritual.
A traditional ritual in which 6 horse figures send Honmoku’s misfortunes out to sea
What to expect
The festival unfolds over two days.
On the first day, the “Ouma Welcome Ceremony” brings the figures from the Hatori family home to Honmoku Jinja, followed by the reisai. On the second day, the “Ouma Send-Off Ceremony” sends them out from the shrine, followed by a procession through the neighborhood.
After the procession, the 6 figures are transferred to a festival boat at Honmoku Fishing Port, carried offshore aboard the boat, and released into the sea.
Each neighborhood sets up a mikosho to welcome the procession of figures.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Honmoku Jinja / Honmoku Fishing Port
- Train and bus
10 minutes by bus from Negishi Station on the JR Negishi Line, then a 3-minute walk from Sannoya / 15 minutes by bus from Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minatomirai Line, then a 3-minute walk from Sannoya
- By car
From the Shin-Yamashita Exit on the Shuto Expressway Kanagawa Route K1, K2, or K3 to Honmoku Jinja / From the Honmoku Wharf Exit on the Shuto Expressway B Bayshore Route to Honmoku Jinja
Source: 本牧神社公式ウェブサイト – 「お馬流し」と「厄除」の社
Event venue 神奈川県横浜市 本牧神社
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
- Season
The first or second Sunday in August
- 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 Kanagawa Prefecture / Yokohama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
よこはまコスモワールド
横浜市の遊園地
よこはま動物園ズーラシア
神奈川県横浜市にある動物園
コスモクロック21
神奈川県横浜市にある観覧車
三溪園
神奈川県横浜市中区にある庭園
安藤百福発明記念館横浜
横浜市にある博物館
山下公園
横浜市にある公園
新横浜ラーメン博物館
神奈川県横浜市港北区にあるフードテーマパーク
横浜みなと博物館
横浜港をテーマにした海事博物館
横浜マリンタワー
横浜港にあるタワー
横浜・八景島シーパラダイス
神奈川県横浜市金沢区にあるテーマパーク
横浜市歴史博物館
神奈川県横浜市都筑区にある歴史博物館
横浜美術館
神奈川県横浜市にある美術館
Origins and History of Ouma Nagashi
Ouma Nagashi is said to have begun in Eiroku 9 (1566), and the tradition of offering 1 figure from each of the former six villages of Honmoku has been passed down.
The figures are thought to have once been prepared by each village, but later it became customary for the head of the Hatori family, whose family name is associated with the “Yabu” house name, to make all 6.
Before the coastline was reclaimed, the festival boat was rowed offshore with oars and sweeps. From Showa 38 onward, fishing boats were borrowed for the ritual.
In Heisei 25, a wooden festival boat was repaired and restored, allowing it to be rowed out to sea for the first time in 50 years.
Official information
Honmoku Jinja official website: “Ouma Nagashi”
Ouma Nagashi at a Glance
Ouma Nagashi is a Shinto ritual in which the misfortunes of Honmoku are entrusted to 6 horse-shaped figures with horse heads and turtle-shaped bodies, made from kaya grass. After a procession through the neighborhood, they are sent out to sea.
Highlights include the solemn passing of the figures overhead from person to person, the welcoming mikoshi, shishimai, and hayashi, and the “seme,” when participants dash toward the boat.
The ritual is said to have begun in Eiroku 9 (1566) and has been passed down through changes in the boats and the customary way the figures are made.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/24
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