Lanterns dancing to flutes and taiko: the graceful Usudai tradition passed down in Sebe
Usudai Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Third Saturday of August each year / Every year
- Location
- Yatsurugi Shrine and Kannon-ji Temple
- Area
- Aichi Prefecture・Ichinomiya City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 40 min–2 h · 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Last updated
- 2026/10/23
Usudai Festival, passed down in Sebe, Ichinomiya City, is a celebration where lanterns spin to the accompaniment of flutes and , painting a band of light across the night sky.
About Usudai Festival
Usudai Festival is held on the grounds of Yatsurugi Shrine and Kannon-ji Temple in Sebe, Ichinomiya City.
In the past, it was held as an event at neighboring Kannon-ji Temple on day 10 of lunar month 7, the anniversary of Kannon’s death.
It is now held on the third Saturday of August each year and was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Ichinomiya City in 2010.
Festival highlights
The main highlight is watching a millstone-like drum decorated with large and small lanterns spin round and round, as if turning a millstone.
As it turns to the accompaniment of flutes and taiko, a beautiful band of light appears in the night sky.
This distinctive way of spinning lanterns like a millstone is said to have developed in Sebe and is not seen even at the Owari Tsushima Tenno Festival.
Lanterns dancing to flutes and taiko: the graceful Usudai tradition passed down in Sebe
What to expect
During the festival, each seko offers , with the at the center.
Taiko carts from each seko provide music for the dashi, while a millstone-like drum hung with lanterns is spun to the sound of flutes and taiko.
At the venue, you can see how the structure—once a bamboo cage placed over a makiwara—has been passed down in the form of today’s Usudai.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Yatsurugi Shrine and Kannon-ji Temple, 53 Daimon, Sebe, Ichinomiya City
- Train and bus
From JR Owari-Ichinomiya Station or Meitetsu Ichinomiya Station, take a Meitetsu Bus bound for Konan Station or Konan Danchi and get off at “Sebe” / Walk north for about 5 minutes along the road just before the pedestrian bridge
- Parking
Available (spaces are limited)
Address 53 Daimon, Sebe, Ichinomiya City
Dates and season
- Season
Third Saturday of August each year
- 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 Aichi Prefecture / Ichinomiya City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
Parking is available, but spaces are limited.
The date may be postponed to the following day in the event of rain, so check for weather-related changes.
The venue is on the grounds of Yatsurugi Shrine and Kannon-ji Temple.
Nearby attractions
一宮市尾西歴史民俗資料館
愛知県一宮市の歴史資料館
一宮市木曽川資料館
愛知県一宮市にある博物館
真清田神社
愛知県一宮市にある名神大社
Origins and History of Usudai Festival
According to local tradition, during the Nara period, the Buddha head of Kannon flew here from Chikubushima in Omi. It passed by a ginkgo tree on the grounds of Kannon-ji Temple and was enshrined on a clean millstone; this is said to be the origin of the festival.
It was originally held as an event at Kannon-ji Temple on day 10 of lunar month 7. In Heisei 28, the date was changed to the third Saturday of August.
Accounts say that after the makiwara lantern decorations of the Owari Tsushima Tenno Festival were introduced, the celebration developed into its distinctive form of spinning a millstone.
Official information
Usudai Festival is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Ichinomiya City, with the Sebe Dashi and Usudai Festival Preservation Society listed as its preservation group.
The festival information lists 0586-51-2216 as the preservation society’s contact number.
Source: 一宮市博物館データ検索システム｜臼台祭
Usudai Festival at a Glance
Usudai Festival is a celebration passed down at Yatsurugi Shrine and Kannon-ji Temple in Sebe, Ichinomiya City.
To the sound of flutes and taiko, a millstone-like drum decorated with large and small lanterns is spun, painting a band of light across the night sky.
Against the backdrop of the traditions of Kannon-ji Temple and its connection to the Owari Tsushima Tenno Festival, the distinctive millstone-spinning display comes together with hayashi offerings by each seko.
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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