Shiono’s festival, where red-and-black shishi and a rampaging mikoshi charge across the temple grounds
Shiono Bishamondo Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on August 17 and the 18th / Every year
- Location
- Shiono Bishamondo
- Area
- Yamagata Prefecture・Yonezawa City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Required number of participants
- Around 16–20 adults carry the .
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A local festival praying for a bountiful harvest is held in Shiono, Shioi-machi, Yonezawa City. Red-and-black shishi clear the way through the neighborhood, and a distinctive mikoshi procession, in which the mikoshi moves vigorously around the , has been passed down through generations.
About Shiono Bishamondo Festival
The Shiono Bishamondo Festival is an autumn festival held at Shiono Bishamondo in Shiono, Shioi-machi, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture.
This village festival, continued by local people praying for a bountiful harvest, is also described in connection with a temple hall that has an old well.
The festival’s main event is the mikoshi procession. After traveling around the neighborhood, the mikoshi returns to the temple grounds and is rocked vigorously.
The festival consists of the evening festival on the 17th and the main festival on the 18th, carrying on local beliefs and the role of the young men.
Source: 塩野毘沙門堂祭礼 - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
The biggest highlight is the “rampaging mikoshi,” which moves vigorously around the grounds of Bishamondo after traveling through the neighborhood.
The mikoshi circles the temple grounds and tries to charge up the steps leading into the hall, but the young men’s leader pushes it back.
Red-and-black shishi also run through the neighborhood ahead of the mikoshi, and at the end, the 2 shishi bring their heads together 3 times in front of the hall.
Its distinctive, fierce character unfolds amid glowing lanterns and the sound of drums.
Shiono’s festival, where red-and-black shishi and a rampaging mikoshi charge across the temple grounds
What to expect
On the evening of the 17th, the head priest prays for safety, places a pagoda of Bishamonten inside the mikoshi, and sets off.
Red-and-black shishi, the young men’s leader, flag bearers, the head priest, drummers, and the mikoshi proceed through the neighborhood in that order, returning to the temple grounds at night.
On the temple grounds, the mikoshi circles 3 times to the sound of drums and repeatedly charges up the steps.
On the 18th, the main festival is held with the Daihannya-e, and after prayers, talismans of Bishamonten are distributed to nearby residents.
How to take part
As festival participants, young people selected from Shioi Town serve as youth leaders and take responsibility for everything from preparations to the mikoshi procession on the day.
Adults carry the mikoshi, while local male high school students help clear the way for the shishi, and elementary and junior high school students carry the flags.
Visitors should take care not to obstruct the mikoshi bearers’ route or the proceedings in the shrine grounds.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Shiono Bishamondo (2075 Shiono, Shioi-machi, Yonezawa City).
The mikoshi procession travels around the neighborhood, with events held on the grounds of Shiono Bishamondo.
Source: www5a.biglobe.ne.jp
Address 2075 Shiono, Shioi-machi, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture
Dates and season
The annual festival lasts 2 days, August 17 and the 18th.
From evening into the night on the 17th, a red-and-black shishi clears the way. After the mikoshi parades through the town, it returns to the grounds of Bishamondo at around 8:30 p.m.
The Daihannya-e ceremony is held on the 18th as the main festival.
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 Yamagata Prefecture / Yonezawa City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The mikoshi procession moves through the neighborhood, and the mikoshi moves vigorously on the temple grounds. Please stay well clear of the route taken by the bearers and shishi.
Near the steps and where the mikoshi charges up, it is important to watch from a position that does not obstruct the procession.
As the events take place from evening into night, watch your footing and be mindful of the movements of people around you.
and lanterns may line the temple grounds in some years, so please take care not to block the walkways.
Nearby attractions
上杉神社
山形県米沢市にある神社
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
宮坂考古館
山形県米沢市にある博物館
写真：Abasaa / Public domain(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
松岬神社
山形県米沢市に鎮座する神社
米沢市上杉博物館
山形県米沢市にある博物館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Shiono Bishamondo Festival
The precise origins and founding date of the Shiono Bishamondo Festival have not been established.
Today, people in the Shiono district continue to hold it every year as a village festival to pray for a bountiful harvest.
Two mikoshi have been passed down: the old octagonal mikoshi is displayed in the outer sanctuary because its decorations are fragile, while the mikoshi used in the current procession has restrained ornamentation.
The Daihannya-e on the 18th is a prayer gathering also held in spring. For the festival, priests from nearby temples come together.
Shiono Bishamondo Festival at a Glance
The Shiono Bishamondo Festival is a local festival held in Shiono, Shioi-machi, Yonezawa City, to pray for a bountiful harvest.
Red-and-black shishi lead the way through the neighborhood, and a highlight is the “rampaging mikoshi,” which charges up the temple steps.
It is held annually on August 17 and the 18th, and consists of the mikoshi procession on the 17th and the Daihannya-e on the 18th.
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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