Oyagyū’s autumn festival, where miyaza roles are passed down and sumo wrestling and Gakuuchi are performed
Oyagyū Miyaza Ritual
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The Sunday immediately before October 18
- Location
- Yashibu Yamaguchi Shrine, Tachibanajinja, and the
- Area
- Nara Prefecture・Nara City(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h–3 h 30 min · bullet train + connecting 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.
- Highlights and activities
- Age restrictions
- The miyaza is made up of men aged 15 and over by traditional age in the shrine parish.
- Required number of participants
- 8 members of the nyūshū
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
The Oyagyū Miyaza Ritual is a traditional event in Oyagyū-chō, Nara City, where people with roles in the miyaza perform ceremonies, sumo wrestling, and Gakuuchi using instruments. As the event moves from the shrine to the otabisho, it carries forward local traditions of worship into the present day.
About Oyagyū Miyaza Ritual
The Oyagyū Miyaza Ritual is an intangible folk cultural property passed down at Yashibu Yamaguchi Shrine in Oyagyū-chō, Nara City.
Men aged 15 and over by traditional age in the shrine parish form the miyaza. Roles such as the nijūninshū and the hachininshū are assigned according to seniority.
For a year, the tōya keeps the “Mawari Myōjin,” said to be a divided spirit of the local deity, and wears its costume and an eboshi hat during the autumn festival.
The event is held in connection with Yashibu Yamaguchi Shrine, its subsidiary shrine Tachibanajinja, and the otabisho.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the performance of Gakuuchi by 8 members of the nyūshū.
The first plays a tsuzumi, the second through fourth play small drums, and the fifth through eighth play a clapper instrument called gachagacha. They perform set movements wearing suō jackets, eboshi hats, and hanagi.
After Gakuuchi is repeated 3 times in front of the tōya and sōtō, it is also performed at the main shrine, Yamaguchi Shrine, the subsidiary shrine Tachibanajinja, and the otabisho.
Around noon, the 19th and 20th members of the nijūninshū wrestle in the .
Oyagyū’s autumn festival, where miyaza roles are passed down and sumo wrestling and Gakuuchi are performed
What to expect
In the evening on the eve of the festival, the nijūninshū—including the tōya and the sōtō, who served as tōya the previous year—gather in the haiden. After the ceremony, they take their places at the seat and share a communal meal at the shrine office.
On the morning of the , a ceremony is held at the tōya’s home, and the nyūshū practice Gakuuchi.
Around noon, sumo wrestling takes place in the haiden, and in the afternoon Gakuuchi is performed in front of the tōya and sōtō.
The procession then heads to the shrine led by the tōya’s son, and proceeds to the otabisho carrying the and other items.
How to take part
対象年齢：宮座は氏子域の数え15歳以上の男性で構成
必要人数：入衆8人
Location and access
- Venue and address
Yashibu Yamaguchi Shrine, its subsidiary shrine Tachibanajinja, and the otabisho / Oyagyū-chō, Nara City
Address Oyagyū-chō, Nara City
Dates and season
- Date
The Sunday immediately before October 18
Accommodation and hotels PR
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Nearby attractions
中野美術館
奈良県奈良市にある美術館
依水園
奈良県奈良市にある日本庭園
写真：Kimon Berlin ( Gribeco ) / CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source ·
入江泰𠮷記念奈良市写真美術館
奈良県奈良市にある美術館
吉城園
奈良県奈良市の日本庭園
大和文華館
日本の私立美術館
奈良公園
奈良市の公園
奈良国立博物館
奈良市にある国立博物館
奈良市史料保存館
奈良県奈良市にある博物館
奈良県立美術館
奈良県奈良市にある美術館
寧楽美術館
奈良県奈良市にある博物館
平城京左京三条二坊宮跡庭園
奈良県奈良市三条大路にある庭園遺構
Tamukeyama Hachimangu Shrine
奈良県奈良市にある神社
Origins and History of Oyagyū Miyaza Ritual
The Oyagyū Miyaza Ritual preserves the miyaza system and the ceremonies and performing arts of the autumn festival in the parish of Yashibu Yamaguchi Shrine.
The miyaza is made up of men aged 15 and over by traditional age. Roles such as tōya, sōtō, and nyūshū are passed down according to seniority and the order in which members take their places at the seat.
It was designated an intangible folk cultural property of Nara Prefecture on February 14, Heisei 29.
The origins of the event and how it changed before its designation are not explained.
Official information
The Nara City Cultural Properties Division, Nara Prefecture, and the Cultural Heritage Online website provide information about the event as a cultural property.
The Nara City listing gives the location as Oyagyū-chō and the preservation group as the Yashibu Yamaguchi Shrine Miyaza Ritual Preservation Association.
Oyagyū Miyaza Ritual at a Glance
The Oyagyū Miyaza Ritual is an intangible folk cultural property centered on Yashibu Yamaguchi Shrine in Oyagyū-chō, Nara City.
The tōya, sōtō, and nyūshū of the miyaza each have roles in the event, which includes taking their places at the seat and a communal meal on the eve of the festival, sumo wrestling at the reisai, and Gakuuchi performed with instruments.
Gakuuchi is performed at Yamaguchi Shrine, Tachibanajinja, and the otabisho, and a procession carrying the mikoshi and other items also takes place.
The date is listed as the Sunday immediately before October 18.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
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Article updated: 2026/11/11
