The tradition of the Sageshi Festival, carried on through a green, oversized kagami mochi
Sageshi Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Midnight on April 3 every year / Every year
- Location
- Jishu Shrine
- Area
- Toyama Prefecture・Nanto City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 10 min–2 h 40 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.
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
A seasonal festival tradition passed down in Sageshi, Nanto City, in which mochi is offered at Jishu Shrine.
About Sageshi Festival
The Sageshi Festival is a seasonal festival custom held every year on April 3 in Sageshi, Nanto City.
After the “seasonal festival mochi” is offered at Jishu Shrine, people in the village share and eat it.
It is designated an intangible folk cultural property by the city, and is also distinctive for being held a month later in accordance with the lunar-calendar date of the seasonal festival.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the large green kagami mochi made by pounding a mixture of mugwort and flour from washed rice.
The mochi is stacked in 3 layers and offered to the tutelary deity; the stretched mochi distributed to households is cut into diamond shapes.
Traditional features include steaming the mochi before pounding and offering it, and having local —not a priest—conduct the rites before the kami.
The tradition of the Sageshi Festival, carried on through a green, oversized kagami mochi
What to expect
The event begins with mochi pounding at one household.
Mochi made by pounding a mixture of mugwort and flour from washed rice is stacked in 3 layers to make a large green kagami mochi, which is offered at Jishu Shrine.
Afterward, people in the village share and eat the mochi, while the stretched mochi distributed to households is cut into diamond shapes.
All stages of the work are carried out by men.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Jishu Shrine, Sageshi, Nanto City
Address Sageshi, Nanto City
Dates and season
- Season
Midnight on April 3 every year
- Frequency
Every year
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 Toyama Prefecture / Nanto City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
南砺市立福光美術館
日本の富山県南砺市にある公立美術館
福野文化創造センターヘリオス
富山県南砺市の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
高瀬神社
富山県南砺市高瀬にある神社
Origins and History of Sageshi Festival
The origins of the Sageshi Festival are unclear, but it is said to have continued for more than 400 years.
Because the seasonal festival is observed according to the lunar calendar on March 3, it now falls a month later on April 3 according to the modern calendar.
The traditional way of making mochi and the custom of local shrine parishioners conducting the rites before the kami themselves have been passed down as a folk event.
Official information
The Nanto City Cultural Arts Archives introduces the “Sageshi Festival” as a city-designated intangible folk cultural property in the Taira area.
The location is listed as Sageshi, Nanto City, and the owner as the parishioners of Sageshi Jishu Shrine.
The same page also provides information about the event’s origins, how the mochi is made, and how it is offered.
Sageshi Festival at a Glance
The Sageshi Festival is a folk event in Sageshi, Nanto City, where mochi is offered at Jishu Shrine at midnight every year on April 3.
A large green kagami mochi made with mugwort and flour from washed rice is stacked in 3 layers. After it has been offered, people in the village share and eat it.
The custom is said to date back more than 400 years, and local shrine parishioners continue to handle everything from pounding the mochi to the rites before the kami.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
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Article updated: 2026/11/11
