A New Year tradition in Sanba: carrying decorations and sending off the Toshigami amid flames and smoke
Sanba Tondo Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Jan
- Location
- Sanba Elementary School
- Area
- Hiroshima Prefecture・Onomichi City(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h 50 min–4 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
The Sanba Tondo Festival has continued since the Genroku era. Local residents and children carry the tondo decorations in a parade, then send them to the fire along with the New Year decorations.
About Sanba Tondo Festival
The Sanba Tondo Festival is a New Year event held in Sanba-cho, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture.
It dates back to the Genroku era of the Edo period and is designated as an Onomichi City Folk Cultural Property.
This tradition continues as an event in which decorations and kadomatsu, regarded as yorishiro for welcoming the kami at New Year, are burned, sending the Toshigami back to the heavens with the flames and smoke.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the scene of local residents and children carrying the tondo decorations in a parade.
Onomichi City’s records describe 4 tondo decorations taking part, then being burned after the parade along with New Year shimenawa decorations and kadomatsu.
Records also describe people grilling mochi over the fire and taking home daidai that had been roasted after the fire burned down.
A New Year tradition in Sanba: carrying decorations and sending off the Toshigami amid flames and smoke
What to expect
During the event, local residents and children carry the tondo decorations in a parade.
Afterward, New Year shimenawa decorations and kadomatsu, among other items, are burned along with the tondo decorations.
Onomichi City’s records also note the belief that eating mochi grilled over the fire, or bathing with roasted daidai placed in the bath, helps keep you free from illness and misfortune for 1 year.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Sanba Elementary School (1630 Sanba-cho, Onomichi)
- Parking
No parking
Address 1630 Sanba-cho, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Jan
Accommodation and hotels PR
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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 Hiroshima Prefecture / Onomichi City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
おのみち歴史博物館
広島県尾道市にある博物館
なかた美術館
広島県尾道市にある美術館
千光寺公園
広島県尾道市の公園
尾道市立美術館
広島県尾道市にある美術館
Origins and History of Sanba Tondo Festival
The Sanba Tondo Festival is a tondo festival said to have continued since the Genroku era of the Edo period.
In Onomichi City’s record dated January 15, 2017, the event is described as taking place at Sanba Elementary School and designated as an Onomichi City Folk Cultural Property. Local residents and children carried 4 tondo decorations.
Records describe the decorations and New Year decorations being burned after the parade.
Official information
For inquiries, contact the Onomichi Tourism Association.
The phone number is 0848-36-5495.
Sanba Tondo Festival at a Glance
The Sanba Tondo Festival is a tondo festival in Sanba-cho, Onomichi, that has continued since the Genroku era.
Local residents and children carry the tondo decorations in a parade, then burn shimenawa decorations and kadomatsu, among other items, sending off the Toshigami amid flames and smoke.
Onomichi City’s records also describe 4 decorations and the custom, associated with daidai grilled over the fire, of praying for a year free from illness and misfortune.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
