Kohama Shrine Autumn Festival

Festival highlights

A highlight is the neriai, a ritual contest in which a lion bites the mikoshi while the mikoshi keeps turning to shake it off.

During the main festival, a procession featuring a tengu, a yakko, a priest, the mikoshi, flag bearers, and the Kohama drums forms. Lion dances, miko dances, and stick routines are performed at the flagpole locations.

The Okuri-oneri, in which the lion bites the mikoshi and makes repeated passes on the shrine grounds at night, is also a striking scene that brings the festival to a close.

An autumn festival in Uchinada's Oganebuto district, where the lion and mikoshi face off

What to expect

The festival unfolds over 3 days: the eve festival, the main festival, and the closing festival.

During the eve festival, the lion-dance groups from each association parade through the town, performing lion dances and stick routines in front of the homes involved.

During the main festival, the mikoshi procession and lion dancers move through the Oganebuto district, with ritual contests, miko dances, and stick routines taking place at the flagpole locations.

On the final day, a children's sumo tournament dedicated to the shrine is held on a temporary sumo ring behind the shrine grounds.

How to take part

Visitors can watch the event.

Location and access

Venue

Kohama Shrine (157 Oonebu 3-chome, Uchinada Town, Kahoku District, Ishikawa Prefecture) and the Oonebu district.

通常の神社へのアクセス：北鉄浅野川線内灘駅から、なだバスナディ南部ルートで約10分、「大根布3丁目」下車後徒歩約2分です。

Parking

The prefectural tourism guide states that the shrine has no parking lot.

Source: 石川県観光サイト・小濱神社

Address 3-157 Oonebu, Uchinada Town, Kahoku District, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0266

Open in Google Maps

Dates and season

Season

Autumn

Frequency

Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

The festival travels beyond Kohama Shrine, along roads in the Oonebu district and to various flagpole locations, so you will need to move around depending on which scenes you want to see.

At the main festival, the mikoshi procession and lion dance come together at the flagpole locations. At times, the mikoshi and lion face each other as they move.

There is no parking lot at the shrine, so use public transportation as your primary option and watch from a location that does not obstruct the procession or performances.

Origins and History of Kohama Shrine Autumn Festival

The date Kohama Shrine was founded is unknown, but it has long been revered as a shrine listed in the Engishiki, the second-ranking shrine of Kaga Province, and the tutelary shrine of Kaga-go.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi is said to have stopped here to pray for victory in battle, and the Maeda family is said to have contributed to the construction of the shrine buildings and donated sacred treasures.

After being relocated several times, the shrine was rebuilt at its present site in Oganebuto in Meiji 22. In Heisei 2, commemorative repairs and renovations were carried out to mark the 100th anniversary of its relocation.

Source: 小濱神社｜スポット｜【公式】石川県の観光/旅行サイト「ほっと石川旅ねっと」

Official information

Information about Kohama Shrine is available on the Ishikawa Prefecture Shrine Association's related page.

The address is 3-157-1 Oganebuto, Kahoku District, Ishikawa Prefecture.

For the latest information on festival dates, the day's schedule, and viewing, check announcements from Kohama Shrine and the Ishikawa Prefecture Shrine Association.

Visit the official website

Kohama Shrine Autumn Festival at a Glance

The Kohama Shrine Autumn Festival is a local autumn festival supported by five associations in the Oganebuto district.

Lion dances, stick routines, a yakko procession, and a mikoshi procession move through the town, with the neriai, where the lion and mikoshi face off, as a major highlight.