Shobu-yu Festival

Festival highlights

The highlight of Yamashiro Onsen is the iris mikoshi carried by young people.

The mikoshi, fitted with a straw bale packed with irises, moves through the hot spring district until the bale wears away and the irises scatter across the road.

The festival’s grand finale is the moment when the irises are thrown into the bath at Ko-soyu.

Source: 菖蒲湯まつり｜イベント情報｜山代温泉観光協会

A festival featuring an iris mikoshi procession through the hot spring district, with the bath entrusted with warding off misfortune

What to expect

On the first day in Yamashiro Onsen, the Nyuto-shiki Kigansai prayer festival and Nyuto-shiki ceremony are held, and the iris mikoshi proceeds from Yakushi-in Onsenji Temple into the hot spring district.

The irises attached to the mikoshi are thrown into the bath at Ko-soyu.

On the second day, the Yamashiro Ondo parade and circle dances are scheduled, and visitors can enjoy iris baths at each hot spring.

How to take part

Visitors can watch the event.

参加費：無料

Location and access

Venue and address

Throughout the hot spring district.

Yamashiro Onsen is in Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Yamanaka Onsen and Katayamazu Onsen are also venues.

The main venue in Yamashiro Onsen is around Kosoyu.

Train and bus

From Kagaonsen Station, take the Kaga Loop Bus CANBUS Yamamawari Line to Yamashiro Onsen Minamiguchi or the temporary Yamashiro Higashiguchi bus stop.

The Hokutetsu Kaga Bus Onsen-Yamanaka Line is also available.

Kosoyu is about 500–550 m away.

By car

About 7.3 km from the Kaga IC on the Hokuriku Expressway.

Traffic restrictions may be in place on nearby roads, and public transport may be rerouted.

Source: 菖蒲湯祭り（山代温泉） / 石川県 -【JAPAN 47 GO】

Address Yamashiro Onsen, Yamanaka Onsen, and Katayamazu Onsen, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)

The event was held on June 4 (Thursday) and the 5th (Friday) in 2026.

In Yamashiro Onsen, the iris mikoshi, Nyuto-shiki Kigansai prayer festival, and Nyuto-shiki ceremony were scheduled for the 4th, while the Yamashiro Ondo parade and circle dances were scheduled for the 5th.

For Yamanaka Onsen and Katayamazu Onsen, the event information lists June 4 only.

Tips for your visit

In Yamashiro Onsen, mikoshi are paraded through the hot spring district, with the area around Kosoyu serving as the festival’s main spectacle.

Traffic restrictions are in place near the venue, and buses may be rerouted.

If you’re visiting by car or bus, check traffic conditions around the hot spring district and allow plenty of time for your journey.

Nearby attractions

Yamashiro Onsen, the heart of the festival, is home to Yakushi-in Onsenji Temple, where the iris mikoshi sets off, and Ko-soyu, where the irises are offered.

Ko-soyu is a public bathhouse reconstructed to resemble the sōyu bathhouse of the Meiji era, located in the yu-no-kuruwa area of Yamashiro Onsen.

Nearby attractions also include Yamashiro Onsen Sōyu and Iroha Sōan, the former residence of Rosanjin.

Source: 見どころ｜【公式】加賀温泉郷｜北陸・石川県加賀市の観光サイト

Origins and History of Shobu-yu Festival

The Shobu-yu Festival in Yamashiro Onsen is said to have begun when ascetic monks gathered at Yakushi-in Onsenji Temple, cut irises to pray for good health for young people believed to be at risk of misfortune, packed them into a straw bale, and offered prayers.

People are said to have rubbed the straw bale against the ground, then thrown the irises into the bath when they emerged, to ward off evil.

Today, this tradition lives on in the construction and procession of the iris mikoshi.

Official information

You can check the official information on the Yamashiro Onsen Tourism Association’s “Shobu-yu Festival” page.

Information is available on the event schedule in Yamashiro Onsen, the origins of the iris mikoshi, and its specifications.

Information on the event period, venues, and transportation across the Kaga Onsenkyo area is also available on the Kaga Onsenkyo tourism website.

Shobu-yu Festival at a Glance

The Shobu-yu Festival brings together the tradition of iris baths, held across Kaga Onsenkyo to pray for good health throughout the year, and the iris mikoshi procession through the hot spring district.

In Yamashiro Onsen, young people pull a straw-bale mikoshi weighing about 350 kg through the streets and offer the irises at Ko-soyu.

Shobu-yu baths are also held at Katayamazu Onsen and Yamanaka Onsen, each as part of its own hot spring area’s traditions.