The 2025 edition! Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival, a festival with a long history and tradition of about 300 years

  • Aomori
  • Sightseeing
Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival: The middle day of the festival
Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival, the largest festival in the Hachinohe area, is held in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture. Hachinohe comes alive in the summer with glamor and excitement! The festival's main attractions are the gorgeous floats and the elegant procession of shrines. Here is a detailed explanation of the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival, including its schedule and highlights.

What is the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival?

The Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival is the largest summer festival in the Hachinohe area, held annually from July 31 to August 4. It is a joint festival of three shrines: Ogami Shrine, Chojayama Shinra Shrine, and Shinmyougu Shrine, and was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage "Yama, Hoko, Yatai Event" in December 2016. Gorgeous floats of the festival enliven the procession of shrines, creating a very festive atmosphere in the city.

It is said that the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival began when the people of Hachinohe, who had suffered from a bad harvest in the past, set up a procession through the city to pray for a recovery in the weather and a good harvest.
Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival

Schedule and Highlights

The Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival takes place over five days, with different events on different days, so be sure to check in advance what to expect! The Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival is held over a five-day period, with different events on different days!

July 31: eve of the festival/August 4: night of the festival

The festival begins and ends with the eve and evening festivals, where 27 floats gather in one place around the Hachinohe city center. The sight of these gorgeous floats all lit up is a sight to behold, and the musical accompaniment adds to the atmosphere. The night of this festival has even been registered as a "Japan Night View Heritage".

On the eve of the festival and the night after the festival, the floats are not in operation, but are on display all together, and each group performs its own musical performance. It is recommended to enjoy the festival while walking slowly. Enjoy the atmosphere of the festival and the glittering floats!
Floats being displayed all at once

August 1: Odori (Street) / August 3: Okaeri (Return)

The "otsuori" and "okaeri" (return) ceremonies are said to be the beginning of the festival, and are said to convey prayers for a good harvest and thanksgiving to the people. The highlight of the festival is the procession of shrines and the gorgeous floats, and you can enjoy a variety of local entertainment at the procession of the three shrines. The 27 gorgeous floats, each with its own unique mechanism, are also a highlight of the festival. Please enjoy various local performing arts such as tiger dances and kagura (Shinto music and dance) and the powerful floats from the roadside.
Scene of the street

August 2: Mid-day

The first is the Kagami-ryu Kiba-Dakyu (Kagami-ryu cavalry ball game) held at the Chojayama Shinra-jinja Shrine. The first is the Kagami-ryu Kishi Uchimari, a classic sport that originated in the Edo period (1603-1868). The first is the Kagami-ryu Kishi Uchimari, a powerful game in which two groups of mounted warriors, one red and one white, fight over a ball and throw it into the goal with a ball stick.

The second attraction is the nighttime operation of the floats. The atmosphere is completely different from that of the daytime, and the illuminated floats and the moving mechanisms under the lights are a must-see! You can watch the floats from the roadside, but please be aware of the crowds as many people come to see the floats shining brightly on a summer night. Paid seating is also recommended.
On the middle day of the festival, the floats will be judged and an awards ceremony will be held on the stage in front of the Hachinohe City Hall.
A scene from the middle day of the festival

Gorgeous and gorgeous! Interesting floats with various tricks

The production of the floats that make the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival so spectacular usually begins around the consecutive holidays in May. The work is carried out in a float shed in the town, but most of the float builders have other main jobs. It is clear that this is an important summer event that is carried on with love and care by the local people involved.

There are four basic types of floats for the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival, all of which are based on Kabuki or folk tales. It is interesting to look at the different types of floats with an eye to their differences. In addition, the floats are equipped with a variety of tricks. The floats can be viewed with the tricks deployed at the eve of the festival and at the night of the festival, so please pay attention to the details.
Floats of Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival

Local performing arts that make the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival even more colorful

On August 1 and 3, you can see various local performing arts during the Odori and Okaeri. Here are a few of them.

Lion and tiger dances

In the shrine procession of the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival, you can see lion dances, but not all are the same! First, at the head of the procession is the "Daikagura" (Great Kagura). At the head of each shrine's procession, the path is cleansed and the procession proceeds. The other performance is the lion dance called "Horyo Kagura" (lion dance). This is one of the Yamabushi Kagura, and can be seen in the procession of the Ogami shrines at the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival. The highlight of the performance is the "simultaneous tooth beating," in which several dancers beat the lion's head without a single syllable of disorder.
Daikagura
Horei Kagura
In addition to the lion dance, the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival also features a "tiger dance. The tiger dance is a local performing art that has been handed down from generation to generation on the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region, and is notable for its spectacular performance of a tiger being manipulated by two people who roll on the ground and stand up on their shoulders! It is also known as an interesting local entertainment, as it is believed to bring good fortune and good health if the head is bitten by the tiger dance.
Tora-mai (tiger dance)

Various dances

Komaodori," which is handed down in northern Iwate and other horse-producing areas, is characterized by dancing with a model of a horse attached to the body and bouncing around. The "Sasanoha Odori," a dance performed by about 15 dancers dressed in yukata and holding bamboo grass leaves, and the "Tekomai," a dance with impressive colorful costumes in which dancers lead the float procession while clapping sticks, are just two examples of the many types of dancing that can be seen at the festival.
Koma Odori
Sasanoha Odori

Hachinohe Sanja Taisho Matsuri's Unique Calls

Speaking of festivals, the music is always a must! Along with the musical accompaniment, however, it is the shouting that is important.

Aomori Prefecture has its own regional festivals, such as Aomori Nebuta and Hirosaki Neputa, but did you know that each festival has a different call to arms?
Aomori Nebuta calls out "rassera rassera" and Hirosaki Neputa calls out "ya-ya-do".

The Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival generally calls out "yare, yare, yare yare yare yare" and "motto omake ni yare yare yare yare yare" along the route. Other chants include "Yoi, yoi, yoi sa, yoi sa, yoi sa no sae.

The speed of the calls varies from float to float, and you can hear the calls of not only adults but also energetic children.
Be sure to pay attention to the calls as well.

Let's go see the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival!

What did you think?
We introduced the Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, with its gorgeous floats and gorgeous local entertainment. Please enjoy the summer in Hachinohe with its glittering and exciting festivities.

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