A festival procession through Okusawa, with a straw serpent entrusted with wishes for protection from misfortune
Okusawa Shrine Great Serpent Procession
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Second Saturday of September
- Location
- Okusawa Shrine
- Area
- Tokyo Metropolis・Setagaya City(Within Tokyo: approx. 15 min–1 h by train (central areas))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
A traditional event held as part of the Okusawa Shrine Grand Festival, in which villagers carry a straw serpent through the village. Against the backdrop of a legend about an epidemic in the middle of the Edo period, a serpent believed to ward off misfortune is displayed on the gate.
About Okusawa Shrine Great Serpent Procession
The Okusawa Shrine Great Serpent Procession is a traditional event held as part of the Okusawa Shrine Grand Festival.
The tradition of carrying a large straw serpent through the village has been passed down through the generations.
The serpent is also displayed on the torii gate, and the event is said to express the community’s wish for protection from misfortune.
It is also designated as a Tokyo Metropolitan Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the scene of villagers carrying a large straw serpent through the village.
The serpent is not only carried in a procession; it is also treated as a symbol of protection from misfortune and displayed on the torii gate.
Another distinctive feature is that the serpent procession takes place as part of the Grand Festival, linking the shrine’s festival rites with an event that travels through the community.
A festival procession through Okusawa, with a straw serpent entrusted with wishes for protection from misfortune
What to expect
During the event, villagers carry a large straw serpent through the village.
The available materials do not explain the detailed proceedings, including how or when the serpent is displayed afterward.
As far as the available information confirms, the serpent procession is part of the Okusawa Shrine Grand Festival, and a serpent believed to ward off misfortune is displayed on the torii gate.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Okusawa Shrine, 5-22-1 Okusawa, Setagaya City
Address 5-22-1 Okusawa, Setagaya City, Tokyo
Dates and season
Second Saturday of September
Accommodation and hotels PR
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Nearby attractions
Origins and History of Okusawa Shrine Great Serpent Procession
The origin is said to date back to the middle of the Edo period, when an epidemic spread in Okusawa and many villagers fell ill.
According to the story, Hachiman Ōkami appeared in a dream to the village headman and told the villagers to carry a straw serpent through the village.
Legend has it that the epidemic subsided when they did as instructed, and the serpent procession came to be held as part of the Okusawa Shrine Grand Festival.
Official information
Setagaya Digital Museum, “Okusawa Shrine Great Serpent Procession”
Okusawa Shrine Great Serpent Procession at a Glance
The Okusawa Shrine Great Serpent Procession is an event held as part of the Okusawa Shrine Grand Festival, in which villagers carry a large straw serpent through the village.
It is said to have originated in a legend involving an epidemic in the middle of the Edo period and a message from Hachiman Ōkami.
The serpent is also displayed on the torii gate and has been passed down in the community as a symbol of protection from misfortune.
It takes place on the second Saturday of September.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
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Article updated: 2026/11/11
