Jizo visits seven settlements, bringing prayers into everyday life
The Circulating Jizo of the Tamaoki Estate
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- It is said to visit each household approximately once every 3 years.
- Location
- Each household in the seven settlements of Tamaki-no-shō (Tamaki, Hikasa, Kamiya, Tentokuji, Inokuchi, Kaneda, and Takefu)
- Area
- Fukui Prefecture・Wakasa Town(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 50 min–3 h 20 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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Circulating Jizo passed down in the Tamaoki Estate of Wakasa Town is a custom in which households in the area take turns caring for a shrine enshrining Jizo Bodhisattva. People continue to pray in their daily lives for their family’s health and safety at home.
About The Circulating Jizo of the Tamaoki Estate
The Circulating Jizo of the Tamaoki Estate is a folk event passed down in 7 settlements in Wakasa Town, Fukui Prefecture: Tamaoki, Hikasa, Kamiya, Tentokuji, Inokuchi, Kaneda, and Takefu.
Jizo Bodhisattva, enshrined in a shrine, visits each home in turn, where people continue to offer memorial rites and prayers.
It has been passed down since the Edo period as a local faith practice for the safety of the household and the health of family members.
It is also listed as a folk cultural property designated by Wakasa Town.
Source: 玉置(福井県三方上中郡若狭町）
Festival highlights
One highlight is seeing the wooden shrine enshrining Jizo Bodhisattva visit the homes in each settlement, one by one.
The shrine contains 3 figures: the principal image and 2 attendant figures. It also has drawers for storing offering dishes and small items.
Each household places the shrine in the kitchen or living room, and prays while offering rice, rice cakes, sweets, flowers, and other items.
A custom rooted in everyday life, in which faith is passed from one household to the next.
Jizo visits seven settlements, bringing prayers into everyday life
What to expect
With the circulating Jizo, the shrine is passed to each household in a set order. After a period of worship, it is handed on to the next home.
At home, people light candles and incense every morning, make offerings such as food, and pray to Jizo Bodhisattva.
The length of stay varies by settlement: 2 nights and 3 days in Kaneda, 1 week in Takefu, and 1 month at the temple in Tentokuji.
By custom, the shrine is carried on the back by a woman of the household, and it is fitted with carrying straps.
Location and access
- Venue
Each household in the seven settlements of Tamaki-no-shō (Tamaki, Hikasa, Kamiya, Tentokuji, Inokuchi, Kaneda, and Takefu)
Event venue 福井県若狭町 玉置の庄の7集落の各家庭
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
- Frequency
It is said to visit each household approximately once every 3 years.
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 Fukui Prefecture / Wakasa Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The Circulating Jizo is not an event where the shrine is displayed all at once on temple or ; it is a religious custom that visits local households in turn.
If you wish to observe, please take care not to disturb the households’ daily lives or worship.
Even if you happen to see the shrine being moved or a memorial rite taking place, do not touch or photograph anything without permission, and follow local guidance and consent.
Nearby attractions
福井県年縞博物館
福井県若狭町にある地誌学の博物館
若狭三方縄文博物館
福井県若狭町にある博物館
Origins and History of The Circulating Jizo of the Tamaoki Estate
The Circulating Jizo of the Tamaoki Estate is a custom that has continued since at least the Edo period, with a record in the Wakashu Kannaisha Jūmotsuki from Kanbun 7 (1667).
It is also described in the Wakasa-gun Ken-shi from the Genroku era, which records how Jizo Bodhisattva visits homes in the settlements that make up the Tamaoki Estate.
The custom is still passed down in the areas of Tamaoki, Takefu, Kaneda, Hikasa, Kamiya, Tentokuji, and Inokuchi, and is recognized as an intangible folk cultural property of the town.
Official information
Wakasa Town’s cultural property list includes the Circulating Jizo of the Tamaoki Estate as an intangible folk cultural property designated by the town.
The designated name identifies the locations of Tamaoki, Takefu, Kaneda, Hikasa, Kamiya, Tentokuji, and Inokuchi.
Wakasa Town’s cultural property guide is a useful resource for confirming its status as a cultural property.
Source: 文化財一覧(町)／若狭町
The Circulating Jizo of the Tamaoki Estate at a Glance
The Circulating Jizo of the Tamaoki Estate is a folk event in which a shrine containing Jizo Bodhisattva is passed among households in 7 settlements in Wakasa Town, connecting faith with everyday life.
At home, people make offerings and pray, then send the shrine to the next household after a set period.
It appears in records from Kanbun 7 (1667) and has been passed down to the present as a custom dating back to the Edo period.
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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