A traditional Mount Sekison event in which bonten are dedicated at sunrise
Mount Sekison Bonten Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Event status
- Cancelled
- Season / frequency
- Every year on August 14 / Every year
- Location
- Mount Sekison
- Area
- Tochigi Prefecture・Ashikaga City(From Tokyo: approx. 50 min–1 h · bullet 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This traditional event is held on Mount Sekison in Omata-machi, Ashikaga City. Participants carry cedar logs and bonten poles to the summit and dedicate them at sunrise. It is designated a prefecturally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
About Mount Sekison Bonten Festival
The Mount Sekison Bonten Festival is a prefecturally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property held on Mount Sekison in Omata-machi, Ashikaga City.
Modeled on the pilgrimage to Mount Oyama of Afuri Shrine, participants dedicate bonten—large ritual wands—on Mount Sekison.
It is a local festival that brings together the mountain’s traditional beliefs and the custom of worshipping the sunrise.
Source: 【石尊山の梵天祭り】｜文化財検索｜とちぎの文化財
Festival highlights
A highlight is the sight of the bonten attached to a cedar log being carried to the summit and raised at sunrise.
The bonten is adorned with 3 swords, four-sided gohei, 169 gohei poles, and other items, giving it a form distinct from typical bonten.
The sight of young people climbing the cedar log and removing gohei poles and other items is also a distinctive feature of the festival.
Source: 石尊山の梵天祭り（せきそんさんのぼんてんまつり） | 足利市 公式ホームページ
A traditional Mount Sekison event in which bonten are dedicated at sunrise
What to expect
The festival begins with the mountain-opening ceremony on July 28, followed by the cutting of the bonten on the first Sunday of August, before the main event on August 14.
For the main event, members of the Bonten-ko group carry cedar logs, gohei poles, and other items to the summit and assemble the bonten.
After bowing toward the sunrise, young men climb the bonten, remove gohei poles and other items, and distribute them to worshippers.
How to take part
The carrying and climbing of the bonten at the heart of the festival are undertaken by members of the Bonten-ko group and young men.
Visitors are described as watching the dedication and prayers at the summit and receiving gohei poles and other items removed from the bonten.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Mount Sekison (Omata-machi, Ashikaga City).
Address: Omata-machi, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture 326-0141.
- Train and bus
About a 25-minute walk or 5-minute drive from Omata Station on the JR Ryomo Line.
About a 25-minute drive from Ashikagashi Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line.
- By car
About 30 minutes from Ashikaga IC and about 20 minutes from Kiryu-Ota IC on the Kita-Kanto Expressway; about 60 minutes from Sano-Fujioka IC on the Tohoku Expressway.
- Parking
Kanohana Community Center.
Source: 【2026年開催中止】石尊山の梵天祭り | とちぎ旅ネット〜栃木の観光旅行情報サイト
Address Tochigi Prefecture 326-0141, Omata-machi, Ashikaga City
Dates and season
The event was scheduled for August 14 (Friday) in 2026, but was canceled due to torrential rain that occurred on July 17.
In a typical year, the main event takes place before dawn and in the early morning on August 14. The 2026 event information listed the goma prayer service at 3 a.m. and the festival start at 4 a.m.
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Tochigi Prefecture / Ashikaga City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The main event takes place from before dawn through sunrise, so you’ll need to be prepared to walk mountain paths early in the morning.
This event involves carrying a cedar log up to the summit and erecting a bonten, so viewing takes place on a mountain and is unlike a typical festival in town.
The event was canceled in 2026 due to torrential rain. Before visiting, check whether it will be held and review local safety information.
Nearby attractions
あしかがフラワーパーク
栃木県足利市にあるテーマパーク
栗田美術館
栃木県足利市にある磁器専門の美術館
草雲美術館
栃木県足利市にある美術館
足利市立美術館
栃木県足利市にある美術館
Origins and History of Mount Sekison Bonten Festival
The beliefs associated with Mount Sekison derive from Sekison worship, which reveres the massive rock that was the sacred object of Afuri Shrine on Mount Oyama.
It is explained that worship was brought to Mount Sekison in Omata, Ashikaga City, because large rocks are scattered across the mountain, making its scenery resemble Mount Oyama.
As a tradition that conveys beliefs associated with Mount Sekison from the era of syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, as well as primitive sun worship, the festival became a prefecturally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property in Heisei 12 January 14.
Official information
The official Ashikaga City website describes the Mount Sekison Bonten Festival as an event in which residents of the Kanohana area of Omata-machi carry the bonten up the mountain.
An overview of its cultural heritage designation is available in Tochigi Prefecture’s cultural property search.
The 2026 cancellation and that year’s travel information are listed on the event page of Tochigi Travel Net.
Mount Sekison Bonten Festival at a Glance
The Mount Sekison Bonten Festival is a festival of Mount Sekison worship, passed down in Omata-machi, Ashikaga City.
The sequence of carrying cedar logs and distinctive bonten to the summit and dedicating them at sunrise reflects the community’s beliefs and the event’s cultural heritage value.
The event was canceled in 2026, but in a typical year it takes place before dawn and in the early morning on August 14.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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