A New Year tradition of five-colored Onbashira surrounding Dosojin, accompanied by children’s chants
Yokosawa no Onbashira and Sūsu
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- New Year. The pillars are erected on January 2, and taken down on a holiday around January 20. / Every year
- Location
- Dosojin sites in “Naka” and “Nishishita” in the Yokosawa neighborhood association
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Matsumoto City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 50 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
- 2026/10/19
A New Year event in the Yokosawa neighborhood association of Azusagawa Yamato, Matsumoto City, where a five-colored Onbashira is erected by Dosojin to pray for household safety and a good harvest. Sūsu, in which children go around the community, is also carried on.
About Yokosawa no Onbashira and Sūsu
“Yokosawa no Onbashira and Sūsu” is an event passed down during the New Year in the Yokosawa neighborhood association of Azusagawa Yamato, Matsumoto City.
An Onbashira decorated with five-colored paper and ornaments is erected at a site dedicated to Dosojin, with prayers for a good harvest and household safety.
In Yokosawa, Onbashira pillars are erected at 2 sites: “Naka” and “Nishishita.”
It is also designated a Matsumoto City Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Source: 横沢の御柱とスースー - 松本市ホームページ
Festival highlights
A highlight is seeing the Onbashira, decorated with five-colored paper shide, erected beside a Dosojin.
In “Naka,” children carry five-colored onbe and go from house to house chanting set phrases in an activity called “Sūsu.”
After standing for a set period, the Onbashira is taken down, and decorations such as shide are burned on the spot.
This distinctive local New Year event brings together pillar-raising and fundraising.
A New Year tradition of five-colored Onbashira surrounding Dosojin, accompanied by children’s chants
What to expect
The event begins with the pillar-raising on New Year’s Day 2.
In “Naka,” that morning, children carry onbe as they visit homes in the community, announcing that the Onbashira will be erected while collecting donations.
After that, an Onbashira is erected at a site dedicated to Dosojin, and the pillar is taken down and its decorations burned on a holiday around January 20.
An Onbashira is also erected in “Nishishita,” though some parts of the event are simplified.
How to take part
The event is centered on residents of the Yokosawa neighborhood association. In particular, children in “Naka” go from house to house for Sūsu.
The available information does not make clear whether general visitors can take part in erecting the pillars or in fundraising.
If you wish to watch, respect that this is a local event and observe quietly without disrupting its progress.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Yokosawa neighborhood association, Azusagawa Yamato, Matsumoto City.
“Naka” refers to the Dosojin site by the roadside south of Yokosawa Shrine, and “Nishishita” refers to the Dosojin site at the three-way intersection west of the settlement.
Address Yokosawa neighborhood association, Azusagawa Yamato, Matsumoto City
Dates and season
- Season
New Year.
The pillars are erected on January 2, and taken down on a holiday around January 20.
- 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 Nagano Prefecture / Matsumoto City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The Onbashira is not an event held at a single venue within a facility. It is erected at the Dosojin sites by the roadside south of Yokosawa Shrine and at the three-way intersection west of the settlement.
Since erecting the pillars and Sūsu are traditions carried on by local residents, please watch respectfully without obstructing the children as they visit homes or disrupting the community’s activities.
When the Onbashira is taken down, decorations such as shide are burned.
Nearby attractions
旧開智学校
長野県松本市にある明治時代の擬洋風建築の小学校校舎。2019年に近代学校建築として初めて国宝に指定された
松本城
長野県松本市にある城
松本市四賀化石館
長野県松本市にある博物館
写真：photo: Qurren ( talk ) Taken with Canon IXY 10S / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·
松本市立考古博物館
長野県松本市中山にある博物館
松本市美術館
長野県松本市にある美術館
乗鞍岳
飛騨山脈南部の長野県松本市と岐阜県高山市にまたがる山
Origins and History of Yokosawa no Onbashira and Sūsu
The origin of Yokosawa’s Onbashira is unknown; it is not mentioned even in the Azusagawa Village History.
The Onbashira in “Naka” was temporarily discontinued in Showa 36 (1961), but the children’s Sūsu continued. In Heisei 2 (1990), local volunteers revived the event.
In “Nishishita,” the event has continued, with some parts of it simplified.
In Heisei 27 (2015), it was designated a Matsumoto City Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Official information
The Cultural Properties Section page on the official Matsumoto City website provides information about the location, activities, origins, history of how the event has been passed down, and cultural-property designation of “Yokosawa no Onbashira and Sūsu.”
For inquiries, contact the Cultural Properties Section of the Matsumoto City Cultural Affairs Division.
Yokosawa no Onbashira and Sūsu at a Glance
Yokosawa no Onbashira and Sūsu is a local New Year tradition centered on Dosojin and the Onbashira, held in Azusagawa Yamato, Matsumoto City.
Along with erecting a pillar decorated in five colors, the tradition includes Sūsu, in which children go from house to house chanting set phrases.
Its origins are unknown, but the event has been passed down by local residents through periods of interruption and revival, and is designated a Matsumoto City Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
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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