Yanagisawa’s Koshōgatsu: entrusting the new year’s weather and crops to the flames of the lanterns and koya
Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The 2nd Saturday and Sunday of January every year / Every year
- Location
- Hachiman Shrine (Yanagisawa Hachiman Shrine)
- Area
- Miyagi Prefecture・Kami Town(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 30 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman is a Koshōgatsu event held at Hachiman Shrine and in the surrounding village. Straw lanterns and the koya are set on fire to divine the weather and crop yields for the new year. Alongside the custom of young people visiting homes, wishes for protection from fire, bountiful harvests, and household safety have been passed down.
About Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman
Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman is a Koshōgatsu event passed down in Yanagisawa village, Kami Town, Miyagi Prefecture.
Centered on Hachiman Shrine, straw lanterns and the koya are set on fire, and their flames are used to divine the weather and crop yields.
Young people visit homes in the village and smear the women’s faces with hearth soot to pray for the deity’s protection.
It is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Miyagi Prefecture as an event to welcome the deity of the New Year and pray for protection from fire, bountiful harvests, and household safety.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the lighting, one by one, of the made from 12 bundles of straw and the koya built from sasa bamboo and straw.
The tōrō is burned in the evening, and its flames are used to divine the weather and crop yields for each month.
Late at night, local young people visit Hachiman Shrine carrying sake, then go around the homes in the village.
At daybreak, the koya is set ablaze, and reading the new year’s crop prospects in the flames is a distinctive feature of this event.
Yanagisawa’s Koshōgatsu: entrusting the new year’s weather and crops to the flames of the lanterns and koya
What to expect
The event begins on the first day with the construction of the koya in the grounds of Hachiman Shrine and the making of a tōrō from 12 bundles of straw.
After the tōrō is burned in the evening, around 2 a.m. local young people gather at their lodging, then head to the shrine carrying sake in a bucket and wooden cups.
They then visit each home in the village and serve sake; at the home of a newly married bride, they smear ink on her face.
The koya is burned the following morning, bringing the festival to a close.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Miyazaki Yanagisawa District, Kami Town — Hachiman Shrine (Yanagisawa Hachiman Shrine)
- By car
40 minutes by car from either the Yamatō IC or Furukawa IC on the Tohoku Expressway
Address 〒981-4403 Yanagisawa District, Kami Town, Kami County, Miyagi Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
The 2nd Saturday and Sunday of January every 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 Miyagi Prefecture / Kami Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Mount Yakurai is known as a symbol of Kami Town and is also called “Kami Fuji” because of its Fuji-shaped profile.
Nearby, Yakurai Garden covers a total area of 150,000 square meters and features 8 themed gardens, including a rose garden and a herb garden.
Both are introduced as nearby attractions within Kami Town, the same town as Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman.
やくらいガーデン
宮城県加美町の公園・庭園のスポットです。
Origins and History of Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman
Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman is a Koshōgatsu event preserved in the Yanagisawa village of former Miyazaki Town, now part of Kami Town, and is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Miyagi Prefecture.
Although its origins are unclear, the event has been passed down as a way to welcome the deity of the New Year and pray for protection from fire, bountiful harvests, and household safety.
The name is said to come from the sight of the koya, made from sasa bamboo and straw, being burned.
The designation date is December 25, 1996.
Official information
An overview of the event as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property designated by Miyagi Prefecture is available on the prefectural government’s official website.
Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman’s designation is also listed in the cultural properties directory on the official Kami Town website.
For inquiries, contact the Lifelong Learning Division of the Kami Town Board of Education.
Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman at a Glance
Yanagisawa no Yake Hachiman is a Koshōgatsu event held at Hachiman Shrine and in the surrounding village. The weather and crop yields are divined using the flames of lanterns and the koya.
Late at night, local young people visit homes carrying sake, and a custom involving soot is also observed.
The event is held to pray for protection from fire, bountiful harvests, and household safety, and is also designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Miyagi Prefecture.
The event was announced for January 10 and the 11th in 2026.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
