Sanno Matsuri山王祭 · Sannō Matsuri

When it is held

The Sannō Matsuri (山王祭) is the festival of Hie Shrine (日枝神社, Hie Jinja) in Nagatachō, Tokyo. It is held every June, with more than 20 rites and events over about ten days; in 2026 it ran from June 7 to June 17.

Its grand procession, the Shinkōsai (神幸祭), takes place only in even-numbered years, alternating with the Kanda Matsuri. After 2026, the next Shinkōsai is due in 2028. In odd-numbered years the shrine's June rites still take place, but without the procession.

The Shinkōsai procession

On June 12, 2026, the procession left Hie Shrine at 8 am and returned at about 6 pm. Around 500 participants in court and festival dress formed a column roughly 300 m long, escorting two hōren (phoenix palanquins), a shrine mikoshi and festival floats along a route of about 23 km through central Tokyo. At 2:05 pm it stopped for a rite at the temporary shrine (otabisho) in Nihonbashi.

Because the procession moves all day, the easiest way to see it is to choose a point on the published route and wait there rather than follow it. The shrine publishes the route and timetable before each main festival.

Other highlights

• Shitamachi Rengō Togyo (下町連合渡御): on June 14, 2026, 16 neighborhood mikoshi were carried together through the old merchant districts, and Chūō-dōri was closed to traffic between Kyōbashi and Nihonbashi from noon to 3 pm.
• Reisai (例祭): the shrine's annual rite on June 15.
• Tea offerings: the Omotesenke school offered tea on June 10 and the Urasenke school on June 17 in 2026.

History

Hie Shrine was the guardian shrine of Edo Castle, and its festival was one of the two Tenka Matsuri (天下祭), "festivals of the realm", whose processions entered the castle grounds. Shoguns watched it from the time of Iemitsu onward; 1635 is the first recorded viewing, and the mikoshi entered the castle 106 times in all. Because the shogunate met its costs, the festival was also called the Goyō Matsuri (御用祭), the "official festival".

The Kanda Matsuri, the other Tenka Matsuri, has alternated years with the Sannō Matsuri since the Edo period, which is why each city-wide procession comes around only every second year.

Tips

• Hie Shrine is close to Tameike-Sannō and Akasaka stations.
• June is the rainy season in Tokyo, so bring rain gear.
• Check the shrine's schedule for the exact times of the procession, the Shitamachi Rengō Togyo and the tea offerings; they change from festival to festival.