September! Sagae Festival】Mikoshi Festival

  • Yamagata
  • Sightseeing

Sagae Festival dates:September 14 (Thu) to 17 (Sun), 2023

One of the largest portable shrine festivals in Tohoku is worth seeing!

The Sagae Festival is an event with a long history and tradition, held in conjunction with the annual festival of Sagae Hachimangu Shrine. The festival is accompanied by the lively performance of taiko drums that announce the arrival of the festival, a procession of samurai parading through the city, and the heroic "Sagae Hachimangu Shrine Yabusame (horseback archery on horseback)," which carries on the tradition of the Kamakura warriors.
On the final day, a portable shrine procession, one of the largest in the Tohoku region, will be held, bringing the finale of the Sagae Festival to an exciting conclusion! In addition, there will be many other fun events such as the Marche in front of the station, the gourmet plaza in front of the station, and a stall market in front of the station! Let's get excited at the Sagae Festival this fall!


Sagae Hachimangu Shrine Festival
Sagae Hachimangu Shrine Festival September 14 (Thu.) and 15 (Fri.)
Houjoe Festival September 15 (Fri.)
Kagura performance on September 15 (Fri.)
Nukata-cho Tour: Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17
Sagae Hachimangu Shrine Yabusame (horseback archery) Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17


Sagae Festival
The 41st Mikoshi Festival September 17 (Sun.)
Yakitori Bar 2023 Saturday, September 16
Garyu Drum Festival: Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17
Stalls in front of the station: Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17
Gourmet Plaza in front of the station Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17
Marche in front of the station: Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17

41st Mikoshi Matsuri (portable shrine festival)

Mikoshi Festival: September 17 (Sun.)
This is one of the largest portable shrine festivals in Tohoku and is very rare in Japan, where three types of portable shrines, "Honsha-mikoshi", "Dokkoi-mikoshi", and "Edomae-mikoshi", perform together. This year, the festival is scheduled to be held on a scale prior to the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection! Please feel the hot breath of the stylish carriers!

Sagae Hachimangu Shrine Yabusame (horseback archery), a Yamagata Prefecture-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Asset

Yabusame horseback archery: September 16 (Sat.), 17 (Sun.)
Koshiki-yabusame (traditional horse back Archery on horseback) is a brave event that inherits the tradition of the Kamakura samurai, in which arrows are shot at three targets in order from the top of the running horse. In the Sakutei Yabusame, three horses are assigned to run in the order of early rice (Wase), middle rice (Nakate), and late rice (Ote), and which horse is the fastest is used to predict the following year's rice crop, a rare event in Japan.


We will do it again this year! Popular "Yakitori Bar

Yakitori Bar: September 16 (Sat) *Advance tickets sold out; same-day tickets available (from 11:00 a.m.)
Sagae Yakitori" is a unique food culture, a type of yakitori made from pork. Sagae Yakitori is the pride of Sagae City and has been loved by many citizens since its establishment in 1955. This time, too, the city's famous restaurants will be represented! Please come and try the hot and juicy "Sagae Yakitori" for yourself!

Sagae Festival (41st portable shrine festival)" official website is here:
"Sagae Mikoshi Kai" official website is here:
For train + accommodations in Yamagata Area, book the JR East View Dynamic Rail Package.
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