DISCOVER FUKUI

The Hoze Festival is a city-wide festival known for kagura dances performed for the gods, a unique style of shishimai lion dances, and decorated floats that travel around town, lit by lanterns at night. It is held in Obama on the weekend before the third Monday of September.

The Hoze Festival is the annual grand festival of Hachiman Shrine in Obama City, boasting a tradition of over 300 years and designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the prefecture.

For two days, performances featuring mikoshi portable shrines, large drums, kagura dances, lion dances, and floats parade through the former town of Obama, showcasing traditional arts and music.

These performances are organized by the 24 districts that were the merchant residential areas of the Obama castle town during the Edo period (1603-1868), with 12 districts participating each other year.

Some of these performances have a history of over 300 years, dating back to the Gion Festival (Kyoto) of the Edo period. It is a nationally rare festival where four types of performances are presented in a single event.

Come see the grand and splendid Hoze Festival, the largest autumn festival in the Wakasa region, which attracts many tourists from outside the prefecture and beyond!