An Oyama lantern with a shelter, illuminating the summer mountain night
Tsurumaki Shimo-bu Oyama Lantern Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year, from July 25 to August 18 / Every year
- Location
- On the grounds of Tsurumaki Daiichi Community Hall
- Area
- Kanagawa Prefecture・Hadano 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.
- Features
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/23
The Tsurumaki Shimo-bu Oyama Lantern Festival is a traditional event in Tsurumaki Minami, Hadano City, where a lantern is lit during the summer mountain season, when visits to Oyama are popular. Through the lantern's assembly, lighting, and dismantling, it preserves a local custom connected with the Oyama faith.
About Tsurumaki Shimo-bu Oyama Lantern Festival
The Tsurumaki Shimo-bu Oyama Lantern Festival is a local event during the “summer mountain” season, when visits to Oyama are popular, and a lantern is lit.
A distinctive feature is that a shelter is assembled around the lantern itself.
As a custom that preserves the history of Oyama worship, it was designated an important cultural property by Hadano City in Heisei 27June.
The venue is on the grounds of Tsurumaki Daiichi Community Hall in Tsurumaki Minami 4-chome.
Source: 鶴巻下部大山灯籠行事／秦野市公式ホームページ
Festival highlights
Highlights include the local community assembling the lantern and its shelter, followed by the lantern being lit.
The lantern is erected from 5 p.m. on July 25, and the work is said to take about 1.5 to 2 hours.
While the lantern is lit, candlelight shines for about 2 hours from around 6 p.m.
The distinctive structure of the shelter, which differs from those of other Oyama lanterns in the area, is another feature unique to this event.
Source: 鶴巻地区 大山灯籠ともる 夜道照らす伝統行事 | 秦野 | タウンニュース
An Oyama lantern with a shelter, illuminating the summer mountain night
What to expect
The event follows this sequence: the lantern is erected on July 25, it is lit from July 25 through August 17, and it is dismantled on August 18.
During setup, the lantern and its shelter are assembled; while it is lit, the lantern shines for about 2 hours from around 6 p.m.
The final dismantling takes about 1 hour from 5 p.m. on August 18.
A distinctive feature is that the lantern is assembled and dismantled to coincide with the summer mountain season rather than being left in place as an all-night light.
How to take part
観覧：自由に見学できると案内された実例があります。
No information is provided about accepting participants for setup or dismantling work, or recruiting performers or vendors.
Location and access
- Venue and address
On the grounds of Tsurumaki Daiichi Community Hall (4-8-2 Tsurumaki Minami, Hadano City)
Address 4-8-2 Tsurumaki Minami, Hadano City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Every year, from July 25 to August 18
- 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 / Hadano City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
As dates and times may change, check the schedules for erecting the lantern, lighting it, and dismantling it separately.
The lantern is lit for about 2 hours from around 6 p.m.; the 안내 says that erecting and dismantling it begin at 5 p.m.
Nearby attractions
出雲大社相模分祠
神奈川県秦野市平沢にある神社
白笹稲荷神社
神奈川県秦野市今泉にある神社
Origins and History of Tsurumaki Shimo-bu Oyama Lantern Festival
The event's beginnings are unclear, but inscriptions on the lantern's shaft record that it was erected in Meiwa 6 (1769) and rebuilt in Bunsei 5 (1822).
It is therefore believed to have been held as early as the mid-Edo period.
Local residents and the preservation association have carried on this event, preserving a custom from the time when Oyama worship spread and visits to Oyama were popular.
In Heisei 27, it was designated an intangible folk cultural property by Hadano City.
Official information
The Hadano City official website provides information about the origins of the Tsurumaki Shimo-bu Oyama Lantern Festival, the dates for erecting the lantern, lighting it, and dismantling it, and the venue.
It also lists the city's designation of the event as an important cultural property and contact information for inquiries about the event.
Tsurumaki Shimo-bu Oyama Lantern Festival at a Glance
The Tsurumaki Shimo-bu Oyama Lantern Festival is a traditional event in Tsurumaki Minami, Hadano City, where a lantern is lit during the summer mountain season to illuminate the night road for visitors to Oyama.
The lantern and its shelter are assembled on July 25, lit through August 17, and dismantled on August 18.
The lantern, bearing inscriptions that it was erected in Meiwa 6 and rebuilt in Bunsei 5, and the distinctive practice of assembling a shelter around it convey the Oyama faith that has continued since the Edo period.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/23
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