Tana’s New Year harvest divination, with arrows shot by archers aged 3 to 5
Tana Hachiman Matosai
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on January 6 / Every year
- Location
- Tana Hachiman Shrine
- Area
- Kanagawa Prefecture・Sagamihara City(From Tokyo: approx. 30 min–1 h · 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
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Tana Hachiman Shrine Matosai is a New Year ritual in which the hopes for the year are entrusted to arrows shot by young archers, and the accuracy of their shots is used to divine whether the crops will be plentiful or poor.
About Tana Hachiman Matosai
The Tana Hachiman Matosai is an archery ritual held every year at Tana Hachiman Shrine on January 6.
Boys aged 3 to 5, supported by their fathers, shoot arrows, and the accuracy of their shots is used to divine whether the year’s harvest will be good or poor.
The first arrow represents peace throughout the realm, the second the security of the territory, and the third an abundant harvest of the five grains, expressing hopes for the community’s peace and prosperity.
Source: フォトライブラリー｜田名地区自治会連合会｜相模原市 / 相模原ふるさといろはかるた (ま) - Japan Search
Festival highlights
A highlight is seeing the young archers and their fathers receive bows and arrows before the deities and proceed to the ritual site.
The shooting order is determined by drawing lots on the day. Led by the chief priest, the group circles the three times before heading to the archery grounds.
The arrows each have one of three meanings, and the festival has a distinctive character in using how they strike the target to divine peace throughout the realm, territorial security, and an abundant harvest of the five grains.
Tana’s New Year harvest divination, with arrows shot by archers aged 3 to 5
What to expect
During the ritual, the archer and his father worship at the worship hall and receive a bow and arrows from the chief priest.
The group then circles the worship hall three times with the chief priest, Hachiman Shrine officials, and other related parties before proceeding to the archery grounds, where they shoot arrows in turn.
The arrows are designated as the first, second, and third arrows, representing peace throughout the realm, territorial security, and an abundant harvest of the five grains, respectively.
How to take part
Archers are selected by a priest drawing lots, and certain conditions apply, such as being a boy aged 2 to 5.
This is not an event where members of the general public can take part as archers; children selected from the local community shoot the bows and arrows.
The archers are chosen by a priest drawing lots on the day. After receiving bows and arrows, they proceed to the archery grounds after worshipping Tenchi Daimyōjin.
No application is required to visit as a spectator only.
Source: 13.田名八幡宮の的祭（たなはちまんぐうのまとまち）｜相模原市
Location and access
- Venue and address
Tana Hachiman Shrine (1-8-28 Suigō-Tana, Chūō-ku, Sagamihara)
Source: 田名八幡宮 - 神奈川県ホームページ
Address 1-8-28 Suigō-Tana, Chūō-ku, Sagamihara
Dates and season
- Season
Every year on January 6
- 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 Kanagawa Prefecture / Sagamihara City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
亀ヶ池八幡宮
神奈川県相模原市中央区にある神社
氷川神社
神奈川県相模原市中央区にある神社
神明大神宮
神奈川県相模原市緑区にある神社
Origins and History of Tana Hachiman Matosai
Tana Hachiman Shrine is described as an old shrine with a history of more than 1,000 years.
The Matosai is held every year on January 6 and is said to be a ritual in which the results of arrows shot by boys aged 3 to 5 are used to divine whether the crops will be plentiful or poor.
The festival’s continued local tradition is also reflected in the system whereby the 11 neighborhood associations of the former Tana Village in the Tana district take turns providing the archers.
Official information
The festival date for Tana Hachiman Shrine can be confirmed in the shrine’s listing by the Kanagawa Prefecture Shrine Agency.
The listing includes the venue address, enshrined deities, and the Tana Hachiman Shrine Matosai on January 6.
Source: 田名八幡宮 - 神奈川県神社庁
Tana Hachiman Matosai at a Glance
The Tana Hachiman Matosai is an archery ritual held at Tana Hachiman Shrine on January 6.
Boys aged 3 to 5, supported by their fathers, shoot arrows, and the accuracy of their shots is used to divine whether the crops will be plentiful or poor.
Highlights include the series of rites in which the participants receive bows and arrows before the deities and circle the worship hall three times on their way to the archery grounds, as well as the meanings entrusted to the arrows: peace throughout the realm, territorial security, and an abundant harvest of the five grains.
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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