A traditional ritual to drive away disease, with banners and calls echoing through Horigome
Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The first Saturday and Sunday of July each year
- Location
- Horigome district, centered around Tsushima Shrine
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Matsumoto City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 50 min · 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri, passed down in Horigome, Shimatate, Matsumoto City, is a ritual in which people pray at Tsushima Shrine for protection from disease and a bountiful harvest, while children raise banners and process through the district.
About Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri
Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri is a ritual passed down at Tsushima Shrine, the local guardian shrine of Horigome district in Matsumoto City.
Children raise banners and process through the district, praying for protection from disease, a bountiful harvest, and protection from misfortune.
The festival is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Nagano Prefecture and is closely tied to local faith and daily life.
Today, children and adults work together to pass on the tradition.
Source: 島立堀米の裸祭り - 松本市ホームページ
Festival highlights
A highlight is the banner procession, with each grade assigned a different role.
6th graders carry the large banner, 4th and 5th graders the medium banner, and 1st–3rd graders the five-colored paper banners. They circle Tsushima Shrine 3 times, calling out as they go.
They then raise colorful banners and proceed through the settlement and rice fields, making a circuit of the area before returning to the shrine.
Drumming and fireworks on the eve of the festival are also part of the event.
A traditional ritual to drive away disease, with banners and calls echoing through Horigome
What to expect
On the eve of the festival, large and medium banners are set up in front of Tsushima Shrine. Children put up five-colored paper banners and celebrate by beating drums.
On the main festival day, the children march from Horigome Community Center to Tsushima Shrine carrying paper banners.
After offering prayers at the shrine, they circle it 3 times while calling out, then process through the district.
Finally, they return to Tsushima Shrine, put away the banners, and perform in a pond.
How to take part
The festival centers on the children of the Horigome district.
Today, the festival is carried on jointly by children and adults, and girls also take part in the procession.
However, we have found no information about general participation by people from outside the area joining the procession, so anyone wishing to take part should check with the organizers.
Visitors are welcome to enjoy the festival while respecting the procession and the children and taking care not to disrupt local activities.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Horigome district, centered around Tsushima Shrine (Horigome, Shimatate, Matsumoto City).
On the main festival day, the procession goes from Horigome Community Center to Tsushima Shrine and then through the district.
Address Horigome, Shimatate, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture
Dates and season
It is usually held on the first Saturday and Sunday of July, with the evening festival and main festival taking place on consecutive days.
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 Nagano Prefecture / Matsumoto City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
As this is a local event centered on children, it is important to watch from a distance that does not interfere with the procession or the place of prayer.
If taking photos, please give due consideration to the feelings and privacy of the children and local residents.
Avoid following a particular child or taking photos focused on parts of their body, and watch the event with respect for its purpose.
Source: 島立裸まつり - Wikipedia
Nearby attractions
旧開智学校
長野県松本市にある明治時代の擬洋風建築の小学校校舎。2019年に近代学校建築として初めて国宝に指定された
松本城
長野県松本市にある城
松本市四賀化石館
長野県松本市にある博物館
写真：photo: Qurren ( talk ) Taken with Canon IXY 10S / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·
松本市立考古博物館
長野県松本市中山にある博物館
松本市美術館
長野県松本市にある美術館
乗鞍岳
飛騨山脈南部の長野県松本市と岐阜県高山市にまたがる山
Origins and History of Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri
Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri is a ritual passed down at Tsushima Shrine in Horigome district and is said to date back to the Edo period.
In the mid-Edo period, Tsushima Shrine was established here from Tsushima Shrine in Owari Ichinomiya, and enshrines Gozu Tenno.
Children once took the lead, but the tradition has evolved: adults now help, and girls also join the procession.
The ritual continues to be passed down despite changes to the environment, such as rice fields being converted into residential areas.
Official information
Matsumoto City website, “Horigome Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri”
Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri at a Glance
Shimatate Hadaka Matsuri is a traditional event in which people pray for protection from disease and for a bountiful harvest in the Horigome district through prayers at Tsushima Shrine and a children’s banner procession.
The festival is known for the drums on the eve of the festival, the calls on the main festival day, and the colorful banners carried through the settlement.
The people of the region continue to pass it down, adapting its form over time, as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Nagano Prefecture.
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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