亮点
- Oct 9, 16:00 -- Yoi-miya-sai eve ritual
- Oct 10, 21:00 -- the year's only 'O-sagari': mikoshi departs the main shrine for a ~2km, ~600-person night procession to the Otabisho
- Oct 11 -- rites at the Otabisho by day, then the Kanko-sai return procession back up the mountain that night
由来与背景
Kotohira-gu enshrines Omononushi, patron of seafarers, and this is its most important annual rite: the one day the deity leaves the 785-step mountain shrine to be paraded through the town below before returning the following night.
Kotohira-gu's Reitaisai, its most important festival of the year, runs October 9-11, 2026 in Kotohira, Kagawa -- and its centerpiece is a rite most shrines don't have: the deity actually leaves the mountain. Kotohira-gu, popularly known as Konpira-san, sits 785 stone steps up the mountain and enshrines Omononushi, a guardian of seafarers worshipped nationwide.
The festival opens on the evening of October 9 with the Yoi-miya-sai eve ritual. The main event, called O-sagari ("the descent"), follows on October 10: at 21:00 the mikoshi carrying the deity's spirit leaves the main shrine, carried by a procession of around 600 people on a roughly 2-kilometre route down through the town to the Otabisho (resting shrine), arriving close to midnight. The following day, October 11, rites continue at the Otabisho before the Kanko-sai return procession carries the mikoshi back up the mountain that night.
Because the main procession happens after dark, it has a very different character from a daytime festival parade -- torches and lanterns light the route as the crowd follows the mikoshi down through Kotohira's old streets. Viewing from the street is free throughout.
For a practical primer on Japanese matsuri etiquette and what to expect, see our first-timer's guide to attending a Japanese festival.
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- About 5-10 min on foot from JR Kotohira Station or Kotoden Kotohira Station to the base of the stone stairway (the main shrine is 785 steps up).
- Booking & entry
- Free to attend — details on the official page (button above).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- culture seekers, families
温馨提示
The O-sagari procession leaves the main shrine at 21:00 on Oct 10 -- arrive early evening for a good spot, and expect a late night as the mikoshi doesn't reach the Otabisho until around midnight.
常见问题
- What is "O-sagari" at the Kotohira-gu Reitaisai?
- O-sagari ("the descent") is the one day a year the deity of Kotohira-gu leaves its mountain shrine: on October 10, the mikoshi departs the main shrine at 21:00 and is carried by roughly 600 people on a 2km night procession down to the Otabisho.
- When is the Kotohira-gu Reitaisai in 2026?
- October 9-11, 2026, in Kotohira, Kagawa. The main O-sagari procession is on the night of October 10.
- Is it free to watch the Kotohira-gu Reitaisai procession?
- Yes, watching from the streets along the procession route is free.