Owari Mushi-okuri Events

Festival highlights

Highlights include the 2–3-meter torches used in the Yada area and the large Sanemori effigies raised in Sobue.

In the torch procession, people walk to the sound of drums and conch shells. In Sobue, tall lanterns, Sanemori effigies, and torches form the procession.

Including the final handling of the effigies and torches, the events visibly express the driving away of pests and prayers for a good harvest.

Source: 県指定文化財 尾張の虫送り行事 | 稲沢市

An Owari tradition of driving away pests, praying for a good rice harvest with fire and drums

What to expect

In Yada, each participant makes one torch by wrapping bundles of straw around a bamboo core. The torch is lit from a fire at Yada Hachimansha Shrine, and participants proceed along the Yadagawa riverbank.

At Unka-okuri, after prayers, participants raise Sanemori effigies and Fuufu birds and proceed along the river embankment to the sounds of conch shells and drums.

In Sobue, participants make Sanemori effigies and torches, then form a procession in the evening and walk through the settlement and along farm roads.

How to take part

Local residents take part by making torches and Sanemori effigies and walking in procession.

A notice inviting elementary school students and their guardians to participate has been published for the Yada area of Tokoname City, offering a chance to help make torches and join the Mushi-okuri procession.

Check the event-specific information to find out how much of the procession general visitors may join.

In 2026, the Yada area announced that it was accepting applications for about 10 groups to take part in making torches and the Mushiokuri procession. If applications exceed capacity, participants will be selected by lottery.

The program is for elementary school students in grades 1–6 who live in Tokoname City, together with a parent or guardian, and advance reservations are required.

Source: 矢田虫送り行事に参加しよう！ | 常滑市 | 子供とお出かけ情報「いこーよ」

Check participation details

Location and access

Venue and address

Yada Hachimansha Shrine and the Yadagawa riverbank in the Yada area of Tokoname City.

The Sobue event takes place at Makikawa Elementary School and its surroundings (990 Sunazaki, Ryoterauchi, Sobuecho, Inazawa City).

Train and bus

For the Sobue venue, get off at Meitetsu’s Kamimarubuchi Station and walk about 30 minutes.

Source: 尾張の虫送り行事(祖父江の虫送り) | イベント検索 | 【公式】愛知県の観光サイトAichi Now

Address Yada area, Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture / 990 Sunazaki, Ryoterauchi, Sobuecho, Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture

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Dates and season

Period 1

2026/06/14

Period 2

2026/07/04

2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)

For 2026, notices stated that Unka-okuri in the Yada area of Tokoname City would be held on June 14 and the Mushi-okuri procession on July 4.

Normally, Unka-okuri is held around June, and the Mushi-okuri torch procession around July. In Yada, the two events are held on separate days from late June to early July.

Tips for your visit

As the procession involves torches and flames, please watch from a safe distance in a place that does not obstruct its progress.

In the Yada area, the events take place over several days. In Sobue, venues are listed for making the effigy and holding the procession.

Conditions for holding the events in rainy weather, traffic restrictions, and parking arrangements vary by event, so check before visiting.

Origins and History of Owari Mushi-okuri Events

Mushi-okuri is said to have once been held in many villages. In the Yadagawa area, it has been passed down as a local event from generation to generation.

The custom of burning away rice pests drawn to the fire, and the practice of driving pests away while praying for a good harvest, have given rise to today’s processions and effigy ceremonies.

In Showa 59, events passed down in the Yada area and Sobuecho, Inazawa City, were jointly designated as Aichi Prefecture Intangible Folk Cultural Properties.

Official information

Tokoname City introduces the Owari Mushi-okuri Events, including Unka-okuri and Mushi-okuri in the Yada area.

Inazawa City lists the Mushi-okuri held in Sobue as a prefecture-designated cultural property.

According to the published notice, the 2026 participant recruitment for the Yada area is treated as user-submitted information.

Owari Mushi-okuri Events at a Glance

The Owari Mushi-okuri Events are ceremonies passed down in the Yada area of Tokoname City and Sobuecho, Inazawa City, to drive away pests and pray for a good harvest.

The event is marked by large torches, drums, and conch shells in Yada, and a procession of Sanemori effigies and torches in Sobue.

2026年の矢田地区については6月14日と7月4日の案内があります。