A festival in Ikeda Town featuring inherited karakuri puppetry and fireworks
Shimohigashino Ichiyama Karakuri Fireworks
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- September 16
- Location
- Shimohigashino Shinmei Shrine
- Area
- Gifu Prefecture・Ikeda Town(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h–2 h 30 min · bullet train + connecting 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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A festival at Shinmei Shrine in Shimohigashino, Ikeda Town, Gifu Prefecture, featuring karakuri puppets on an okiyama and a variety of set-piece fireworks. Processions, dances, oil flames, and fire wheels unfold in sequence, preserving local techniques passed down through the generations.
About Shimohigashino Ichiyama Karakuri Fireworks
The Shimohigashino Ichiyama Karakuri Fireworks is a festival event held at Shinmei Shrine in Shimohigashino, Ikeda Town.
Karakuri puppets are set up on an ichiyama known as an okiyama, and presented alongside fireworks, dances, processions, and other performances.
Designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture, its techniques and ceremonial forms, passed down locally, are carefully preserved.
Source: 下東野の市山からくり花火[しもひがしののいちやまからくりはなび] - 岐阜県公式ホームページ（文化伝承課）
Festival highlights
Highlights include karakuri puppets performed on an okiyama and set-piece fireworks that unfold with each scene.
A variety of performances follow, including the program announcement, Ichiyama fireworks, the Yakko procession, , the Yutori procession, and standing fireworks.
Oil flames, raised lanterns, fire wheels, waterfalls, and mantō lanterns also appear, making this a festival where traditional techniques and fire displays can be experienced together.
A festival in Ikeda Town featuring inherited karakuri puppetry and fireworks
What to expect
In preparation for the festival, the preservation society and elementary school students practice on the large and small drums, shōgo, and flutes.
In September, tools are repaired, the ichiyama is assembled, and the fireworks props are drawn and prepared.
On the day, the event begins with announcement fireworks and the lighting of the tall . Processions, dances, and set-piece fireworks follow in sequence, and the festival concludes with mantō lanterns.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Shimohigashino Shinmei Shrine / Shimohigashino, Ikeda Town, Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture
Address Shimohigashino, Ikeda Town, Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
September 16
Accommodation and hotels PR
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Origins and History of Shimohigashino Ichiyama Karakuri Fireworks
The style of performing with karakuri puppets on an ichiyama is considered a tradition dating back to the medieval period or later.
It is explained that traces of medieval culture remain, based on the fact that yama were once built in Shimohigashino and at Higashino Shrine, and that the enshrined deity of Higashino Shrine is Gozu Tenno.
Techniques unique to Shimohigashino, such as making the wick for oil flames and connecting fuses, are still passed down today.
Official information
The Cultural Heritage Preservation Division page on the Gifu Prefecture official website introduces the cultural property designation, venue, preparations, performances, and inherited techniques of the Shimohigashino Ichiyama Karakuri Fireworks.
Shimohigashino Ichiyama Karakuri Fireworks at a Glance
The Shimohigashino Ichiyama Karakuri Fireworks is a festival passed down at Shinmei Shrine in Shimohigashino, Ikeda Town.
Karakuri puppets on an okiyama, processions and dances, and set-piece fireworks such as oil flames and fire wheels unfold as part of a sequence of performances.
It is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture that preserves a style said to date back to the medieval period and local fire techniques.
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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