DISCOVER FUKUI

Katsuyama City’s “Sagicho” boasts a history of over 300 years dating back to the arrival of the Ogasawara clan, and was traditionally held on the 14th day of the first month of the lunar calendar as an event celebrating Little New Year.
Currently, for the convenience of tourists and festival organizers, it is held on the last Saturday and Sunday of February.

Twelve scaffolds are erected in various neighborhoods throughout downtown Katsuyama. On top of these, adults dressed in red long under-kimono, joined by children, perform with unique, playful gestures, dancing to the lively tempo of music played on the shamisen, flute, and gong. This spectacle is a feature unique to the “Katsuyama Sagicho” festival nationwide, and people refer to it as a “strange festival.”
On Sunday evening, the sacred objects from each neighborhood are carried to Benten-gawara —famous for its Benten cherry blossoms— where preparations for the “Dondo-yaki” bonfire begin.

At 7:30 p.m., the sacred fire, lit at Shinmei Shrine, is carried by torches from each district to the Dondo-yaki venue at Benten-gawara. At 8:00 p.m., signaled by a smoke signal, the fires are lit simultaneously, bringing the festival to a grand finale with a spectacular display of flames blazing against the winter sky, beautifully reflected in the snow.
With this “Dondo-yaki,” the gods are sent off, and as prayers are offered for a bountiful harvest and the prevention of fires, the two-day fire festival comes to a close.

The "Katsuyama Sagicho Festival" is said to be the festival that heralds the arrival of spring in the Okuetsu region, and from this point on, the footsteps of spring can be heard in Katsuyama.

2026

Saturday, February 21, 1:00 PM: First Drum

February 22 (Sun) 8:00 PM: Dondoyaki (Benten-gawara Green Space)