Ohno Sending-Off Festival

Festival highlights

A highlight is watching the procession, accompanied by flutes, drums, and banner flags, wind through the mountain village.

According to records from 2024, people put their hopes for the end of epidemics and a good harvest that year into small flags made by each household, then walked about 4 km while calling out.

A particularly striking moment is when the procession reaches Sakaigami from Ohno Shrine and a sword is thrust into the mikoshi to ward off epidemics.

A flute-and-drum procession winds through the mountain village in a festival to ward off epidemics.

What to expect

The mikoshi is made in the morning, and the procession sets off in the afternoon.

With a Shinto priest and the mikoshi at the front, the procession continues with flutes, drums, and banner flags, heading from Ohno Shrine to Sakaigami.

According to records from 2024, people walked about 4 km carrying small flags made by each household and calling out as they went.

Source: PDF資料

How to take part

参加費：無料

Location and access

Venue and address

Ohno Shrine / 329 Ohno, Tokigawa, Hiki District, Saitama Prefecture

Train and bus

JR明覚駅から乗合タクシー（要予約）40分／共通乗降場：大野バス停下車、徒歩5分

By car

19.8 km, 34 minutes via Prefectural Route 172 from the Higashimatsuyama IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway

Parking

None

Address 329 Ohno, Tokigawa, Hiki District, Saitama Prefecture

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)

The event is scheduled for April 12, 2026 (Sun).

The procession is around 13:00–14:30.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

According to the 2026 information, visitors arriving by public transport need to reserve a shared taxi.

There is no parking at the venue.

The procession is scheduled for around 13:00–14:30.

Nearby attractions

Recommended nearby places include COMORIVER, a camping and barbecue facility, and Showa Retro Onsen Sento Tamagawa Onsen, a hot spring bathhouse for a relaxing stop.

Nearby dining options include Tokian, which serves whole-grain soba and udon.

All are facilities listed in information about the area around the festival venue.

Origins and History of Ohno Sending-Off Festival

Although the sources do not confirm the festival’s origins or year of establishment, there is a record of the Ohno Sending-Off Festival being held at Ohno Shrine on April 14, 2024.

The record notes that the festival is a Saitama Prefecture-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and that each household made small flags to pray for the end of epidemics and a good harvest.

Records also describe a procession covering about 4 km to the sound of flutes, drums, and calls.

Official information

Contact: Tokigawa Town Lifelong Learning Division　0493-65-2656

Ohno Sending-Off Festival at a Glance

The Ohno Sending-Off Festival is an event associated with the arrival of spring and warding off epidemics.

The mikoshi is made in the morning, and in the afternoon a procession accompanied by flutes, drums, and banner flags travels from Ohno Shrine to Sakaigami.

A key feature of the festival is the custom of placing hopes for the end of epidemics and a good harvest in small flags, then thrusting a sword into the mikoshi at the end.