Shimoina Okochi Shikaoi Event

Festival highlights

Highlights include a pair of male and female deer made from straw, maple, cedar boards, and other materials.

Sekihan is placed in the deer’s belly, which is decorated with a shimenawa.

A distinctive feature is the sequence portraying a hunt: the priest playing the hunter and the beaters face each other, and the driven-out deer is struck with a single arrow.

Source: 大河内シカオイ行事 | 芸能 | 歴史・郷土・文化 | トリップアイデア | Go NAGANO 長野県公式観光サイト

An Okochi spring festival expressing hopes for a good harvest through a straw deer and hunting gestures

What to expect

The event begins by placing a target representing a deer in the shrine’s forecourt.

At the command of the priest playing the hunter, the beaters drive out the deer with sticks, and the priest shoots an arrow to strike it.

After the event, children are also said to take the sekihan (red bean rice) from the deer’s belly and compete to grab it.

Location and access

Venue and address

Okochi Ike Daijinja Shrine (Okochi, Kambara, Tenryu Village, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture)

Address Okochi, Kambara, Tenryu Village, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the dates listed have already passed)

It is held every year on day 3 of lunar month 3, which falls in mid-April on the current calendar.

In 2026, it was scheduled for April 19 (Sunday), with activities from around 1 p.m. to around 3 p.m., from the start of preparations until the end of the ritual.

As the 2026 date has already passed, please check the next event date before visiting.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

This event is introduced as a cultural property, but not all cultural properties can necessarily be viewed. Visitors are advised to contact the relevant cultural property administration office before their visit.

As the event takes place on shrine grounds, please take care not to obstruct the proceedings of the ritual or the movement of local residents.

Follow on-site guidance when viewing the event, including the scene involving children and the sekihan.

Source: 大河内の鹿追い行事 - 信州の文化財 - 財団法人 八十二文化財団

Origins and History of Shimoina Okochi Shikaoi Event

The Shikaoi Event has been passed down as a type of pre-celebration ritual to drive away wild animals that damage crops in fields and paddies.

In Okochi, Tenryu Village, the event is held during the spring festival at Ike Daijinja Shrine. Targets representing deer are made from rice straw, scraps of board, young maple branches, and other materials.

This is a regional event found along the Tenryu River near the borders of Mikawa, Shinano, and Tōtōmi, and this event is considered a rare surviving example.

It was designated as a Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1984.

Source: 国指定文化財等データベース

Official information

Information on the date, venue, and times is available on the Tenryu Village official website under “Okochi Shikaoi Event.”

The name used for the cultural property and an explanation of the event are also listed in the National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, etc.

Shimoina Okochi Shikaoi Event at a Glance

The Shimoina Okochi Shikaoi Event is a pre-celebration ritual held during the spring festival at Ike Daijinja Shrine, using a target shaped like a deer.

Hunters and beaters act out a hunt in which they drive away wild animals, expressing hopes for a good harvest.

Its distinctive features include male and female deer made from straw and maple, bellies filled with sekihan, and the act of shooting an arrow.