Ueno Tenjin Festival

上野天神祭

The autumn festival of Ueno Tenjin Shrine (Sugawara Shrine) in Iga, Mie, in which a procession of more than a hundred masked demons and nine danjiri floats wind through the old castle town. Held over three days, Friday to Sunday, ending on the last Sunday on or before 25 October.

22–24 October 2027

356 days away

Every year, the first Friday on or after 17 October, for 3 days

Future dates: 22 October 2027 · 20 October 2028 · 19 October 2029

Origin

The festival of Ueno Tenjin Shrine, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, was revived in 1660, early in the Edo period. The demon procession comes from the neighbourhoods along Sannomachi Street, and the floats from nine neighbourhoods along Honmachi and Ninomachi streets. It was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2002, and in 2016 it was inscribed by UNESCO as one of the 33 Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals of Japan. Since 2017 it has moved from fixed dates, 23–25 October, to the weekend.

What to look for

The draw is Sunday’s grand procession, when the demons and the nine floats follow the portable shrine through the old town. Demons making children cry is a time-honoured part of the day; a child who cries is said to grow up healthy. On Saturday afternoon the demons parade along Sannomachi Street, and in the evening the floats, hung with lanterns, make their rounds.

How to watch

Events are called off in rain. Visitors are asked not to fly drones. While roads are closed, follow the directions of police and stewards, and do not ride bicycles into the closed area. Take your rubbish home, or hand it back to the stall you bought from. The demon procession on Sannomachi Street on Saturday afternoon is relatively uncrowded, and in the evening the lantern-lit floats cross paths around the Ginza-dōri intersection. The live positions of the demons and floats can be followed from the official website.

If you go

The festival fills Ueno Tenjin Shrine and the streets of central Ueno in Iga, right by Uenoshi Station on the Iga Railway, reached by changing at Iga-Ueno on the JR Kansai Line or Iga-Kambe on the Kintetsu Osaka Line; there are also direct highway buses from Nagoya. On the official schedule, the nine floats go on show at street corners from early Friday afternoon, their lanterns lit at dusk. On Saturday the floats and the demons parade from 1 to about 4 p.m., with the lantern-lit evening round from 6:30. On Sunday the grand procession sets off in the morning from the eastern resting place and spends the whole day, morning and afternoon, winding through the old town. Times change from year to year. Roads in the town centre are closed during the festival, and parking is limited, so visitors are asked to come by public transport.

Where

Ueno Tenjin Shrine and central Ueno, Iga

Iga, Mie

Open in maps

Sources

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