Ryūkyū Dynasty Festival in Shuri (Royal Procession)

琉球王朝祭り首里(古式行列)

A festival in Shuri, Naha, Okinawa, held on 3 November, Culture Day. Its highlight is the royal procession, in which citizens dressed as the king and queen, the regent, the three chief ministers, the high priestess Kikoe-ōgimi and others walk from Shuri Castle Park along Ryūtan-dōri. It recreates the procession in which the kings of Ryūkyū visited three temples below the castle at New Year. With the Naha Ōtsunahiki tug-of-war and the Naha Hārī boat races, it is counted one of the three great festivals of Naha. 3 November every year.

On now

3 November 2026

ConfirmedChecked against the organiser’s announcement.

Every year, 3 November

Future dates: 3 November 2026 · 3 November 2027 · 3 November 2028

The royal procession (2021, scaled down without spectators) (Shuri Castle Park, official channel on YouTube)

Origin

In the days of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the king prayed for the peace of the realm and good harvests by visiting three temples below the castle, Engaku-ji, Tennō-ji and Tenkai-ji, on the third day of the New Year. The royal procession recreates this first royal outing of the year. The procession itself is said to have begun in earnest about five hundred years ago in the reign of King Shō Shin, when one of the three chief ministers bought a gilded palanquin, the uchū, from China. The festival grew out of an “education festival” begun by Shuri residents in 1960, renamed the Shuri Culture Festival in 1968, and the royal procession was revived in 1978. Since 2007 it has been run by the Shuri Promotion Association, and in recent years it has been held on the last day of the Shuri Castle Revival Festival.

What to look for

The regent and the chief ministers go to receive the king and queen, and the royal procession sets out into the old town of Shuri. After passing through the Shurei Gate the king and queen board their palanquins, and the procession moves off when the herald solemnly calls out “Ushuganashī mēga, utuimishēndō”, the king is passing. Behind the regent, the ministers and the royal palanquins follow more than two hundred citizens dressed as lords, officials, court ladies, the high priestess Kikoe-ōgimi and village priestesses, with street musicians adding their music.

How to watch

The king and queen are played each year by people chosen by open application. The procession presents a historical pageant, with each role and costume of the kingdom’s court recreated in its own style.

If you go

The royal procession leaves the Hōshin Gate of Shuri Castle Park in the afternoon of 3 November and goes through the Shurei Gate along Ryūtan-dōri to the Torihori crossing. Roads around Ryūtan-dōri are closed for the procession and the area around the castle is very crowded, so buses, the monorail and the like are recommended. It may be changed or cancelled because of the weather. During the same Shuri Castle Revival Festival, a separate royal pageant parade is held on Kokusai-dōri (its date varies by year).

Where

Shuri Castle Park and Ryūtan-dōri

Naha, Okinawa

Open in maps

Sources

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