A summer grand festival in which the mikoshi returns to the seaside and Kanaiwa’s traditional performing arts bring color to the town
Summer Grand Festival at Ohno Minato Shrine
The 2026 edition of Summer Grand Festival at Ohno Minato Shrine has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/07/31 〜 2026/08/02Ended
- Season / frequency
- 3 days, ending on the first Sunday of August / Every year
- Location
- Ohno Minato Shrine and the town and coastal area of Kanaiwa
- Area
- Ishikawa Prefecture・Kanazawa City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 h · 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
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
A summer grand festival in the Kanaiwa area, in which a travels to the coast near the former shrine site, passes through the town of Kanaiwa, and returns to Ohno Minato Shrine. Folk performances including , platforms, and join the procession.
About Summer Grand Festival at Ohno Minato Shrine
The summer grand festival at Ohno Minato Shrine is a traditional event in the Kanaiwa area, commonly known as the “Kanaiwa Summer Festival.”
A mikoshi enshrining Amaterasu and Sarutahiko travels from Ohno Minato Shrine to a temporary shrine near the coast, stays there for several days, and then returns to the shrine.
The mikoshi procession includes hikiyama floats, taiko platforms, demon-banishing performances, shishimai, children dressed as yakko, komeage rice-lifting performances, and Kaga Tobi ladder-climbing. The festival as a whole is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Kanazawa City.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the procession led by a mikoshi and accompanied by 17 hikiyama floats and 22 taiko platforms.
Folk performances include shishimai in which a performer wielding a pole defeats a lion, komeage, in which a platform is lifted amid spirited shouts, and Kaga Tobi ladder-climbing, performed atop a 6-meter ladder.
On the final day, performances, hikiyama, and taiko platforms gather at the festival plaza near Kanaiwa Bus Terminal, adding color to the mikoshi’s return to the shrine.
A summer grand festival in which the mikoshi returns to the seaside and Kanaiwa’s traditional performing arts bring color to the town
What to expect
During the festival, the mikoshi departs from Ohno Minato Shrine, passes through the town of Kanaiwa, and is transferred to a temporary shrine near the coast.
Summer purification rites, the evening offering festival, the summer , and a maritime safety prayer ceremony are held at the temporary shrine, where the mikoshi stays for 2 nights.
On the final day, the procession travels through town, stopping at along the way. After folk performances at the festival plaza, it returns to the shrine, where the Shin-senji ceremony concludes the rites.
How to take part
Visitors can watch the event.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Ohno Minato Shrine, Ha 163, Teranaka-machi, Kanazawa
- Train and bus
Take a Hokutetsu bus on route 60 to Kanaiwa, 61 to Ono, or 63 to Ono; get off at Nishi Police Station and walk 5 minutes.
- By car
From Kanazawa Station, take the Kanazawa-Tsuruhama Prefectural Road (Prefectural Route 60) toward Kanazawa Port / From the Hokuriku Expressway, exit at Kanazawa-nishi IC and drive about 10 minutes / From the Hokuriku Expressway, exit at Hakusan IC and drive about 10 minutes
Address Ha 163, Teranaka-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
2026年の案内では、7月30日20:00に神遷し神事、7月31日9:30に出御祭、10:00に神輿出御、11:30に着與祭、17:00に夕御饌祭、20:00に花火大会が行われました。
8月1日は10:00に夏季例祭、12:00に海上安全祈願祭、17:00に夕御饌祭が案内されました。
8月2日は12:30に出御祭、13:00に神輿出御、13:50に冬瓜町のお旅所到着、14:30に出発、15:30に下新浜町のお旅所到着、16:50にお祭り広場、18:50に金石街道を通過、19:00過ぎに大野湊神社へ着與する日程でした。
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 Ishikawa Prefecture / Kanazawa City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
Local customs and taboos are associated with the mikoshi procession.
Traditions include not looking down at the mikoshi from a high place, not hanging bedding out to dry on the roof, and pausing work to welcome the mikoshi.
The route on the final day changes from year to year, so check that year’s procession information before visiting.
Nearby attractions
健民海浜公園
石川県金沢市にある公園
兼六園
石川県金沢市にある庭園
四高記念文化交流館
石川県金沢市にある文化施設
国立工芸館
日本の美術館
大樋美術館
石川県金沢市にある美術館
大野日吉神社
石川県金沢市にある神社
大野湊神社
石川県金沢市にある神社
尾山神社
石川県金沢市にある神社
成巽閣
石川県金沢市にある歴史的建造物
Origins and History of Summer Grand Festival at Ohno Minato Shrine
The enshrined deities of Ohno Minato Shrine were originally worshipped in Miyakoshi, now Kanaiwa, but are said to have been moved to the current site after a fire destroyed the shrine buildings in 1252.
The summer grand festival is said to have originated when parishioners built a temporary shrine so the deities could return once a year to the coast near the former shrine site, where they offered their thanks.
The festival was held at least as early as the middle of the Kan’ei era in the early Edo period, and the basic form of the procession recorded in 1754 is said to have changed very little since then.
Official information
大野湊神社の公式案内：夏季大祭（金石夏まつり） | 大野湊神社の紹介 | 大野湊神社
Summer Grand Festival at Ohno Minato Shrine at a Glance
The summer grand festival at Ohno Minato Shrine is an event in which the enshrined deities return to the coast near the former shrine site and then travel back to the current shrine site in a mikoshi.
Hikiyama, taiko platforms, and local folk performances join the mikoshi procession as the festival unfolds in the town of Kanaiwa.
It is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Kanazawa City, preserving its long-standing origins and procession traditions.
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
