Central Japan · Yamanashi · Kai
Omiyuki-san
おみゆきさん
The grand procession festival of Asama Shrine, first shrine of old Kai province, held on the Shingen embankment at Ryūō in Kai, Yamanashi, praying that the Kōfu basin be spared from floods. The gods of the first, second and third shrines of old Kai province gather at Sanja Shrine, and on the embankment small stones inscribed “water god” are thrown into the river in a rite to hold back the waters. Bearers dressed as women, in red under-kimono and white face powder, carry mikoshi along the bank as if tamping it down, to the cry of “Sokodai, sokodai”. One of the three great procession festivals of Kai. 15 April every year.
Next
15 April 2027
RegularWorked out from the organiser’s fixed schedule.
162 days away
Every year, 15 April
Future dates: 15 April 2027 · 15 April 2028 · 15 April 2029
Omiyuki-san and the Shingen embankment (Kai City, official channel on YouTube)
Origin
In 825 heavy rain burst the meeting point of the Midai and Kamanashi rivers and flooded the Kōfu basin. By order of Emperor Junna, the first, second and third shrines of Kai, Asama, Miwa and Tamamoro, held a rite to hold back the river at the foot of the Akasaka plateau, then the meeting point of the rivers and now the area around Sanja Shrine; this is said to be the festival’s origin. By the time of Takeda Shingen it had become the province’s greatest festival and an official one, and in the Edo period the procession is said to have been as large as that of a lord of 100,000 koku. According to the records of Asama Shrine, it was once held on the second Boar day of the fourth lunar month and was moved to 15 April after the Meiji era; the shrine holds its grand annual rite first and then makes the journey of some six ri, about 24 kilometres, to Sanja Shrine at Ryūō. The bearers dress as women because the goddess of Asama Shrine, Konohanasakuya-hime, is female, and “sokodai” is said to be a cry of encouragement meaning “we’re nearly there”. From the Meiji era only Asama Shrine made the procession, but in 2003 the processions from all three shrines were revived.
What to look for
The Kawayoke-sai on the bank of the Shingen embankment. Small stones inscribed “water god” are thrown towards the river in prayer that the Kōfu basin be kept safe from floods; picking one up is said to bring luck, and children scramble up the bank to gather them. At Sanja Shrine a rite of the spirits and offerings of tamagushi are made together with the first, second and third shrines. In the mikoshi procession, bearers in rouge and white powder, under-kimono and white tabi chant “Sokodai, sokodai” and move along the embankment as if tamping it down. At the festival grounds there is the Sokodai dance of the Ryūō Miyuki-ren, drumming by the Shingen Taiko preservation society, and food stalls.
How to watch
The Shingen embankment is said to have been built by Takeda Shingen to tame the often-flooding Kamanashi River, and the festival is held on top of it. Because of traffic, the mikoshi and bearers of each shrine now come to the embankment by car before the rites. In the procession of the local Ryūō mikoshi, people duck under the mikoshi to pray for good health and receive lucky coins from a “princess” (2026).
If you go
Every year on 15 April, around Shingen-zutsumi Park, Sanja Shrine and Ryūō district 1 in Kai. It is held on 15 April whatever the day of the week (a Monday in 2024, a Tuesday in 2025 and a Wednesday in 2026). The embankment is about 25 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by taxi from Ryūō Station on the JR Chūō line.
Where
Sanja Shrine, Ryūō
Kai, Yamanashi
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