A spring festival in Takehana, enlivened by splendid dashi and karakuri
Takehana Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on May 2 and 3 / Every year
- Location
- Takehana district, Hashima City · Yatsurugi Shrine
- Area
- Gifu Prefecture・Hashima City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h–2 h 30 min · bullet train + connecting 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
- 2026/10/19
This spring festival of Yatsurugi Shrine has been passed down in the Takehana district of Hashima City. from each neighborhood are pulled out, showcasing lavishly embroidered curtains, children’s dances, and performances by karakuri dolls.
About Takehana Festival
The Takehana Festival is a spring festival of Yatsurugi Shrine held in the Takehana district of Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture.
Centered around dashi passed down by 13 neighborhoods, the festival unfolds amid the local streetscape.
The dashi are adorned with curtains embroidered in gold, silver, and colored threads, and children’s dances and performances by karakuri dolls are also presented.
This festival offers a sense of Takehana’s history and the bonds within its neighborhoods.
Source: 竹鼻祭り - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
The highlight is the festival-float-style dashi passed down by each neighborhood.
The large curtains, rear curtains, and decorative cords are embroidered with gold, silver, and colored threads. On the dashi, children perform hand dances, and karakuri dolls, including karako dolls, give performances.
Each neighborhood has its own program, making it possible to compare performances unique to each dashi, such as Yumitori Miko and Takasago and the Old Woman.
A spring festival in Takehana, enlivened by splendid dashi and karakuri
What to expect
The festival is held over 2 days, comprising Shigaku and Hongaku, with dashi from each neighborhood appearing at the festival.
All 13 dashi do not appear every year. Since 1922, 7 or 6 have been pulled around in rotation.
You can enjoy not only looking at the dashi, but also watching the children’s dances and the movements of the karakuri dolls performed on them.
Since the neighborhoods whose dashi are pulled out vary by year, there is also interest in which neighborhoods take part each time.
Location and access
- Venue and address
A spring festival of Yatsurugi Shrine in the Takehana district of Hashima City.
Event venue 岐阜県羽島市 羽島市竹鼻地区
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
In most years, the trial festival is held on May 2 and the main festival on May 3.
The festival dates have changed in the past, and the current schedule has been in place since 1987.
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 Gifu Prefecture / Hashima City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
羽島市歴史民俗資料館・羽島市映画資料館
日本の岐阜県羽島市にある博物館
Origins and History of Takehana Festival
The festival is said to have begun in 1582, when Genroku Hirotsuna Fuwa, lord of Takegahana Castle, moved Yatsurugi Shrine to its present location to protect the castle from the unlucky northeast direction.
There are said to have been 7 dashi during the Kansei era, later increasing to 13.
In the 1891 Nobi earthquake, dashi from 5 neighborhoods were destroyed by fire, but were later rebuilt.
The festival dates shifted from the old lunar calendar to the new calendar, and then to May 2 and 3.
Takehana Festival at a Glance
The Takehana Festival is a spring festival dedicated to Yatsurugi Shrine in the Takehana district of Hashima City.
Dashi passed down by each neighborhood are adorned with lavishly embroidered curtains, and children’s dances and performances by karakuri dolls are presented.
The 13 dashi from 13 neighborhoods are pulled out in rotation each year, so you can enjoy dashi from different neighborhoods from year to year.
Takehana’s local history is also reflected in the festival’s origins and the changes to its dashi.
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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