Oyama Lantern Festival

Festival highlights

A highlight is the Oyama lanterns, set up along the highways and at crossroads during the summer climbing season and lit at night.

The lanterns were more than just a source of light: they served as “nighttime landmarks,” guiding pilgrims traveling through the night toward Oyama.

In the Koinaba district, the tradition is carried on at 4 locations: Shimonochō, Nakanishi, Yasakamae, and Ōta. It also continues in Takamori and Higashiōtake (Chizu).

Another distinctive feature is that the tradition of setting up the lanterns continues, rather than the old lanterns themselves.

Lanterns that have illuminated the Oyama pilgrimage at night, a tradition passed down in Isehara

What to expect

As part of the event, local preservation groups set up Oyama lanterns along roads and at crossroads, and light them every night during the summer climbing season.

The lanterns guided pilgrims heading to Oyama and helped keep them safe on the road at night.

In the past, once the summer climbing season ended, the lanterns were dismantled and stored. The custom even included putting them up again the following year, in a practice known as “tōrō-daoshi.”

Location and access

Venue and address

Koinaba district (Shimonochō, Nakanishi, Yasakamae, Ōta), Takamori, and Higashiōtake (Chizu) districts

Event venue 神奈川県伊勢原市 小稲葉地区

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

Dates and season

Season

Summer climbing season

Frequency

A tradition carried on year after year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

When viewing cultural properties, follow the manager’s permission requirements and instructions, be considerate of others, and view them quietly.

Some designated and registered cultural properties are not open to the public.

Depending on the time and location, beware of land leeches, bears, falling trees, and falling branches.

Origins and History of Oyama Lantern Festival

Oyama lanterns are said to have been set up to guide pilgrims to Oyama along night roads during the period when the Oyama pilgrimage was popular.

It is said that by the middle of the Edo period, lanterns were set up at crossroads along the Oyama Road during the summer climbing season.

The lanterns were set up only during the summer climbing season. When the season ended, they were dismantled and stored until the following year.

Today, it is the tradition of setting up the lanterns—not the old lanterns themselves—that local preservation groups carry on. In 2017, the tradition was recognized as a city-registered intangible folk cultural property.

Official information

Isehara City’s cultural heritage guide introduces the Oyama Lantern Festival as a city-registered cultural property and an intangible folk cultural property.

It also provides information about the preservation groups, the distribution of the lanterns, and the event’s role.

Oyama Lantern Festival at a Glance

The Oyama Lantern Festival is an intangible folk cultural property of Isehara City. Lanterns are set up along roads and at crossroads to pray for the safety of pilgrims on their night journey to Oyama.

They were lit every night during the summer climbing season, serving as nighttime landmarks to guide pilgrims to Oyama.

The tradition is carried on at 4 locations in the Koinaba district, as well as in the Takamori and Higashiōtake (Chizu) districts, where 6 groups preserve it.

The event is said to date back to the middle of the Edo period, and the custom of setting up lanterns has been passed down to the present day.