Seven mikurumayama showcasing the skill of the townspeople in a spring procession through the castle town
Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on May 1. The eve-of-festival celebration takes place the day before. / Every year
- Area
- Toyama Prefecture・Takaoka 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.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Official website / social media
- Official website
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This spring festival features 7 mikurumayama adorned with Takaoka’s traditional crafts parading through the old town to festival music. At the grand assembly ceremony around noon, all 7 gather in one place.
About Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: くろふね File:高岡市街の風景 - panoramio.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 くろふね https://web.archive.org/web/20161015083641/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/35113195Display size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Suikotei File:Onmadashimachi-takaoka mikurumayama.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: 掬茶 File:Float of the Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.The Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival is a traditional event held every year on May 1 as the spring annual grand festival of Takaoka Sekino Shrine.
7 mikurumayama adorned with metalworking, lacquerware, and other crafts parade through Takaoka’s old town.
It is designated a National Important Tangible and Intangible Folk Cultural Property and is also registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO under the name “Mikurumayama Festival in Takaoka.”
This festival lets you appreciate the craft and festival culture preserved by the townspeople through the mikurumayama.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the ceremonial procession of 7 intricately decorated mikurumayama through the old town.
Takaoka metalworking and lacquerware craftsmanship adorn the wheels, railings, and nageshi beams, and each features its own vivid design.
Around noon, all 7 mikurumayama gather for the grand assembly ceremony, creating a splendid scene accompanied by festival music.
You can also watch the mechanisms of the karakuri puppets mounted on the dashi.
Seven mikurumayama showcasing the skill of the townspeople in a spring procession through the castle town
What to expect
During the festival, mikurumayama are ceremonially pulled in procession through the center of the old town to festival music.
The mikurumayama are drawn out from their storehouses and proceed through town after being decorated and undergoing Shinto rites in preparation for the festival.
Around noon, all 7 gather at the Kataharamachi intersection for the grand assembly ceremony.
At the eve-of-festival celebration, mikurumayama are displayed with illumination, festival music is performed, and ceremonial furnishings are exhibited.
Source: 高岡御車山祭宵祭（御車山ライトアップ）｜イベント｜【公式】高岡観光ナビ - 富山県高岡のおでかけ・旅行情報
Location and access
- Venue and address
Takaoka Sekino Shrine and central Takaoka
Event venue 富山県高岡市 高岡関野神社
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
- Season
Every year on May 1.
The eve-of-festival celebration takes place the day before.
- 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 / Takaoka City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Near the festival venue are the Takaoka Mikurumayama Museum and Takaoka Sekino Shrine.
At the Takaoka Mikurumayama Museum, you can see mikurumayama throughout the year. The museum also introduces the festival through a 4K theater and a video experience that lets you move a wheel.
The old town is also home to Yamachosuji, a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and the Takaoka City Museum of Dozo-zukuri Houses, among other attractions.
This is an area where you can explore Takaoka’s history and crafts alongside the festival.
Source: 高岡御車山会館｜観光スポット・体験｜【公式】高岡観光ナビ - 富山県高岡のおでかけ・旅行情報
ミュゼふくおかカメラ館
富山県高岡市にある博物館
二上射水神社
富山県高岡市にある神社
伏木神社
富山県高岡市伏木にある神社
射水神社
富山県高岡市の高岡古城公園内にある神社
気多神社
富山県高岡市伏木一宮にある神社
高岡おとぎの森公園
富山県高岡市佐野・上黒田にある都市公園
高岡市伏木気象資料館
富山県高岡市にある博物館
高岡市立博物館
富山県高岡市にある博物館
高岡市美術館
富山県高岡市中川にある公立美術館
高岡関野神社
富山県高岡市にある神社
Origins and History of Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival
The origins of Takaoka’s mikurumayama are said to date to 1609, when Maeda Toshinaga built a castle in Takaoka and established the town, giving mikurumayama to the neighborhoods in the castle town.
According to another account, Maeda Toshiie received a gosho-guruma used when Toyotomi Hideyoshi welcomed Emperor Go-Yozei, and it was later given to the townspeople of Takaoka via Toshiie’s son, Toshinaga.
Takaoka City explains that very few documents remain to substantiate this account.
The mikurumayama also serve as yorishiro, vessels for welcoming the gods, and their procession is said to represent the gods’ parade after descending to this world.
Source: 高岡御車山／高岡市公式ホームページ
Official information
Official information is available on the Takaoka Mikurumayama Preservation Society website.
The Takaoka City official website provides information on the origins and construction of the mikurumayama and their cultural property designations.
Year-specific information, including dates and traffic restrictions, is also available in the Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival guide on Takaoka Tourism Navi.
Source: 令和8年度高岡御車山祭は、5月1日(金)に開催します。｜新着情報｜【公式】高岡観光ナビ - 富山県高岡のおでかけ・旅行情報
Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival at a Glance
The Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival is a spring annual grand festival in which 7 splendid mikurumayama parade through Takaoka’s old town.
You can enjoy the town’s crafts and festival culture all at once, including metalwork and lacquerware decorations, festival music, the grand assembly ceremony around noon, and karakuri puppets.
The festival is said to have begun in 1609 and has been handed down as an event associated with Important Tangible and Intangible Folk Cultural Property designations and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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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