Saito Kofun Festival

西都古墳まつり

A torchlit procession in ancient dress carries a mythic flame across a field of burial mounds.

7–8 November 2026

10 days away

Every year, the 1st Saturday of November, for 2 days

Future dates: 7 November 2026 · 6 November 2027 · 4 November 2028

Origin

A festival for the burial mounds of Saitobaru. According to the local Japan Heritage council, it descends from mausoleum rites — the *sanryō-sai* and *goryō-sai* — that go back to the Muromachi period. The festival in its present form reached its fortieth edition in 2026. Its ground lies in front of Osahozuka and Mesahozuka, two mounds held by the Imperial Household Agency as possible imperial tombs.

What to look for

The heart of it is the first night. Flames are lit at Takachiho — "the flame of Ninigi", the grandson of the sun goddess who in myth descended to earth there — and at Tsuma Shrine — "the flame of Konohanasakuya-hime", his bride. Several hundred people in ancient dress carry them by torch along the *Kiki no Michi*, a path linking places named in the myths, to the ground before the mounds. Then comes the *Honō no Saiten*: a tower about three metres high is set alight, and dancers costumed as ancient warriors and women perform dances drawn from the myths. Earlier that afternoon, four *kagura* traditions from around the city — Shiromi, Obae, Hokita and Takaya — perform in turn.

How to watch

On the second day, the mounds held by the Imperial Household Agency open for worship — the only day of the year they do. Photography inside is not allowed.

If you go

The first Saturday of November and the Sunday after. What most people come for is the first evening — the torch procession and the fire festival. The second day is daytime ceremony, offertory performances and the visit to the mounds. The festival goes ahead in rain, though the programme may change. The site is on a plateau, reachable by car from the Saito interchange of the Higashi-Kyūshū Expressway.

Where

Saitobaru Burial Mounds

Saito, Miyazaki

Open in maps

Sources

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