The translated pages on our website are created using a free service. Please note that the content may not be 100% accurate.

Karatsu Kunchi November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
  • Karatsu Kunchi, the largest festival in Karatsu, is an annual autumn festivity of Karatsu Shrine taking place on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of November every year.The phrase “kunchi” in kanji stands for the locals’ gratitude toward another year of fertility.
  • Karatsu Kunchi was designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Saga Prefecture in 1955 and subsequently in 1980 as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. With pretty wide media coverage overseas, the event has been drawing a steady increase of visitors especially as of late. The turnout has been reported over 500,000 in attendance during this festival season.
  • 唐津神祭行列図

Yoiyama Otabisho Shinko Town Parade　

  • Yoiyama

    Hikiyama floats mystically lit with paper lanterns
    Two years after the completion of the sando passage leading to Karatsu Shrine, a hikiyama hut was placed along said walkway in 1895. Ever since then, all the hikiyama floats started to gather in front of it just the night before the day of the main event.
    Up until that time, each representative district followed its own route through the night - some through the Otemon gate, or some through Meiji and then into Karatsu Shrine for the finale. The collective hikiyama march of today was started in 1962. At first, the hikiyama float representing Katanamachi makes its way east at around 7:30pm, while all the other ones start to join one another from the closest to the farthest. They all eventually gather together in front of Karatsu Shrine, as they wow the crowd of spectators with the overwhelmingly stunning and mystical presence they possess.

  • Otabisho Shinko

    - “Hikikomi” – the highlight of Kunchi! -
    Highlight of Kunchi Festival, Hikikomi, continues to draw tens and thousands of spectators from in and out of Saga every year. In the morning of the 3rd, young men from the Koda district with deep ties with Karatsu Shrine would present Shinto ritual performances of lion dance at the altar. The nickname “kabu-kabu” lion derives from a Japanese onomatopoeia emulating the sound and the movement of the lion’s mouth. All the participating festival floats line up around the main portable shrine at around 9:30am, as they get ready to march down to the otabisho in Nishinohama. The floats march the streets of the former castle town from the oldest to the newest - Katanamachi red lion leading off the pack all the way down ending up with the 14th, Egawamachi shippou-maru. The highlight of the event is this march to the otabisho, also known as “hikikomi and hikidashi.”

  • Town Parade

    Finale with the shouting of “enya, enya!” -
    The final day of the festivity is another 8 km-procession through the old castle town. But this time, it’s without the portable shrine from the previous day. People of each respective district will dress up in their matching towels, vests, pants, and arm gloves. It’s an emotionally moving parade with graceful music and rhythm played by accompanists in and on top of their floats. It sets up for the finale as the participants navigate the massive floats while shouting “enya, enya” with the last of their efforts. Such is how each hikiyama returns to the Exhibition Hall to be put away for the year. With Kunchi coming to an end, the city of Karatsu gets ready for another winter season.

CAUTION!!!

  • ・Please follow hikiyama staff’s instructions.
  • ・Keep away from Festival floats and rope when they move around the town.
  • ・Please don’t enter the roadway.
  • ・Please don’t cross the ropes.
  • ・Corner are the most dangerous.

【Prohibited】 Selfie sticks

【Prohibited】 No parking

【Prohibited】 No parking

©2024 Karatsu Tourism Association.All Rights Reserved.