Shikoku · Ehime · Saijō
Saijō Festival
西条まつり
The collective name for the autumn festivals of four shrines in Saijō, Ehime. Well over a hundred festival floats — danjiri, portable shrines and drum floats carved with warriors, flowers and birds — are paraded through the town to the singing of Ise ondo, said to be more than at any other festival in Japan. At its heart is the festival of Isono Shrine; every year from 14 to 17 October the festivals of the Iwaoka, Isono and Iizumi shrines follow one another.
Next
14–17 October 2027
347 days away
Every year, 14 October, for 4 days
Future dates: 14 October 2027 · 14 October 2028 · 14 October 2029
Origin
An autumn rite of thanks to the gods for the harvest, the Saijō Festival is the name given together to the annual festivals of four shrines: Kamo, Iwaoka, Isono and Iizumi. The largest, that of Isono Shrine, is of uncertain origin but appears in records from around 1761. During the festival local businesses and schools close, and people from Saijō who live far away come home for it; it is woven deep into the life of the town.
What to look for
The Isono Shrine festival ends on the evening of 16 October with the kawairi, when floats surround the portable shrine in the waters of the Kamo River. Floats line the riverbank to see the shrine off as it crosses back to its home, and a dozen or so danjiri close in around it, throwing up spray. The festival opens at about 2 a.m. on the 15th with the miyadashi, when some eighty floats lit with more than a hundred lanterns each gather at Isono Shrine and are carried up its stone steps. Before dawn on the 16th every float gathers again at the shrine’s resting place in town, and in the morning they line up at the site of the old Saijō domain residence, now the gate of Saijō High School, their carvings and embroidery reflected in the moat.
How to watch
These are shrine festivals, and putting out a float is called an offering. There are no reserved seats, and you are asked not to stake out spots in advance. Drones and other small unmanned aircraft should not be flown near the routes at any time, for safety. Many restaurants in town close during the festival, so plan your meals; stalls are set up at busy places such as the resting place and the river crossing. Of the four shrines, only Kamo Shrine’s festival moves with the calendar, held every year on the two days before Sports Day in October.
If you go
If you go, go on 16 October, when the high points of the Isono Shrine festival follow one after another: the resting place before dawn, the domain residence in the morning and the river crossing at dusk. The river crossing, near Isonobashi bridge on the Kamo River, is about 20 minutes on foot from Iyo-Saijō Station on the JR Yosan Line, about an hour from Matsuyama by limited express. Temporary car parks on the left bank of the Kamo River are free. The river crossing usually runs later than scheduled. Check the routes and times in the route and traffic map Saijō City publishes each year.
Where
Isono Shrine and central Saijō (Kamo River)
Saijō, Ehime
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