Sakoshi Boat Festival

Festival highlights

The main highlight is the sight of a fleet of Japanese-style boats decorated with flags, streamers, awnings, and more, sailing across Sakoshi Bay.

Led by the kaidenma rowing boat, the procession continues with the lion boat, tojin boat, music boat, mikoshi boat, song boat, and others, making its way to the sacred resting place on Ikushima.

Lion dances and Ofune-uta boat songs are performed aboard the boats, and before the boat procession, a spirited batakake using wooden boards also takes place.

The sight of the fleet returning with lanterns lit after sunset is also a scene emblematic of this festival.

Source: 国指定文化財等データベース

A traditional boat festival in which a fleet carrying memories of the port town crosses Sakoshi Bay

What to expect

The festival consists of the eve-of-festival events and the main festival. The eve-of-festival events include activities related to lion dances and Ofune-uta boat songs, as well as a procession of tojin.

On the main festival day, following ceremonies at the shrine, the mikoshi and the procession of tojin (festival representatives) head to Higashi-no-hama, where preparations for the boat procession are made.

After the kaidenma rowing-boat race and batakake, the fleet sails around Sakoshi Bay and crosses to Ikushima. In the evening, the mikoshi is returned in a return procession.

Finally, the procession returns to the shrine, bringing the festival to a close.

Source: 国指定文化財等データベース

Location and access

Venue and address

The festival is held mainly at Oasahi Shrine, Higashi-no-hama, Sakoshi Bay, and the sacred resting place on Ikushima.

The location is Sakoshi, Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture.

Address Sakoshi, Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture

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Dates and season

Honmiya is held on the 2nd Sunday of October every year.

The festival consists of Yoimiya and Honmiya. The cultural heritage guide describes Yoimiya and Honmiya as events open to the public on the Saturday and Sunday of October.

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Nearby attractions

Around Sakoshi, you can find old streetscapes that flourished through the shipping trade, as well as places that tell the history of the area as a port of call for Kitamaebune ships.

The scenery from around Oasahi Shrine, looking out toward Ikushima’s virgin forest rising from Sakoshi Bay, is featured in local guides.

Sakoshi Machinami-kan, Okuto Sake Brewery Local History Museum, the former Sakoshiura Assembly Hall, and Furusato Beach are also mentioned as places connected to Sakoshi’s history and culture.

This area offers opportunities to experience the port town’s scenery and culture alongside the festival.

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Castles and historic sitesAko City

赤穂城

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Attractions in the same municipality. Check each attraction’s official website for travel distances from the venue and current opening information.

Origins and History of Sakoshi Boat Festival

Sakoshi Boat Festival is a festival handed down alongside the development of the shipping trade at Sakoshi Bay.

A historical document from 1726, in the early modern period, describes the formation of the boat procession, including the mikoshi boat. A festival picture scroll from 1845 depicts the procession at sea.

In the past, the main festival was held on September 12, said to be the day when Hata no Kawakatsu drifted ashore on Ikushima. It is now held on the 2nd Sunday of October.

After disappearing following Showa 23, the sendan-jiri boat was revived at the 2009 festival for the first time in about 60 years, prompted by the discovery of its components.

Official information

The festival date and an overview are introduced in Ako City’s tourism information.

Details of its cultural property designation and the formation of the boat procession can be checked in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.

Ako City’s information also lists the phone number for Sakoshi Oasahi Shrine as a contact.

Sakoshi Boat Festival at a Glance

Sakoshi Boat Festival is a boat procession festival unique to the port town of Sakoshi, in which a fleet of Japanese-style boats carries the mikoshi of Oasahi Shrine to Ikushima.

A variety of traditional events take place on the water and in town, including a fleet decorated with flags and streamers, a rowing-boat race, lion dances, Ofune-uta boat songs, and batakake.

As a festival continued since the early modern period, it is designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The main festival is held on the 2nd Sunday of October each year.