An autumn festival where a great boat carrying lights and dolls is pulled to the shrine through the efforts of the local community
Ogiwara Shrine Boat Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- It is recorded as an autumn festival held in October. / Records indicate that it has been held every year as an autumn .
- Location
- Ogiwara Shrine
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Azumino City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 50 min · 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
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
This is an autumn reisai that has been passed down at Ogiwara Shrine in Ogiwara, Nanaki, Akashina, Azumino City. Records describe the tradition of building a large boat, decorating it with dolls, curtains, and cedar branches, and pulling it to the shrine.
About Ogiwara Shrine Boat Festival
The Ogiwara Shrine Boat Festival is an autumn reisai held at Ogiwara Shrine in Ogiwara, Nanaki, Akashina, Azumino City.
The tradition is said to have involved building a boat, dressing it with five-colored curtains, cedar branches, and doll decorations, and having local people pull it to the shrine.
The Autumn Festival Executive Committee now leads its organization, with residents sharing responsibility for preparations, boat-building, decorations, and .
It is also designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Azumino City.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the boat, one of the largest in the area.
Records describe a boat measuring over 17 meters long, 6.5 meters high, and 4 meters wide, decorated with five-colored curtains, abundant cedar branches, backdrops such as mosquito nets, and dolls depicting historical scenes.
At the evening festival, more than 150 candles are lit, illuminating the boat alongside its doll decorations.
Records also describe the boat making one clockwise turn in the before stopping facing the .
An autumn festival where a great boat carrying lights and dolls is pulled to the shrine through the efforts of the local community
What to expect
For the festival, local people assemble the boat, shape it using rope and timber, and attach dolls and decorations.
Records describe the boat being pulled from the community center to Ogiwara Shrine for the evening festival, then brought back down to the community center in the afternoon of the main festival before being pulled to the shrine again.
The distance from the community center to the shrine is about 150 meters, with an uphill slope and curves along the way; the boat was moved forward while being rocked back and forth.
Hayashi and the Urayasu Dance are also listed among the festival’s activities.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Ogiwara Shrine (Ogiwara, Nanaki, Akashina, Azumino City)
Address Ogiwara, Nanaki, Akashina, Azumino City
Dates and season
- Season
It is recorded as an autumn festival held in October.
- Frequency
Records indicate that it has been held every year as an autumn reisai.
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 Nagano Prefecture / Azumino City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The dates for offerings at intangible folk cultural properties may be limited.
When visiting, please follow on-site guidance and etiquette so as not to inconvenience the property’s owners or managers, other visitors or worshippers, or people living nearby.
Nearby attractions
穂高神社
長野県安曇野市にある神社
貞享義民記念館
長野県安曇野市にある貞享騒動の記念館
Origins and History of Ogiwara Shrine Boat Festival
The Ogiwara Shrine Boat Festival is recorded as a traditional event led by young people that has continued since the Meiji era.
In the early Showa period, disasters and problems within the district interrupted the festival. After the war, its organization resumed, led by Wakaki-ren.
As the number of young people declined, Wakaki-ren disbanded in Heisei 11, and the Autumn Festival Executive Committee was formed in Heisei 12, shifting the tradition to a model in which the community shared responsibilities.
Records say that new five-colored curtains were made in Heisei 14 and that the Urayasu Dance was revived for the first time in 40 years.
Official information
The Ogiwara Shrine Boat Festival is listed as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the city in the cultural properties list on Azumino City’s official website.
Ogiwara Shrine Boat Festival at a Glance
The Ogiwara Shrine Boat Festival is an autumn reisai that has been passed down in Ogiwara, Nanaki, Akashina, Azumino City.
Records describe a large boat decorated with five-colored curtains, cedar branches, and dolls being pulled to the shrine with candles and hayashi.
The youth organization that had existed since the Meiji era gradually handed over festival management to the Autumn Festival Executive Committee.
The culture of the local community sharing responsibility for everything from boat-building and pulling to decorations and dance is passed down as a city-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
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Article updated: 2026/11/11
