Takayama Festival高山祭 · Takayama Matsuri

Two festivals, two shrines

The Takayama Festival (高山祭, Takayama Matsuri) is the shared name of two separate shrine festivals in the old town of Takayama, in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture.

• Spring: the Sannō Matsuri (山王祭), every year on April 14 and 15. It is the festival of Hie Shrine (Hida Sannō-gū) and belongs to the southern half of the old castle town. Twelve floats take part.
• Autumn: the Hachiman Matsuri (八幡祭), every year on October 9 and 10, fixed dates since 1968. It is the festival of Sakurayama Hachimangū and belongs to the northern half of the town. Eleven floats take part.

The floats

The 23 festival floats (屋台, yatai) are National Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties, and the float events are an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. In December 2016 they were inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as part of "Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan". The festival's origins go back to the rule of the Kanamori clan (1585–1692), and floats have taken part since around 1718.

Some floats carry karakuri (からくり), mechanical puppets worked from inside the float. In spring the Sanbasō, Shakkyō-tai and Ryūjin-tai floats perform at the Jinya-mae intersection, facing the temporary shrine (otabisho), at 10 am and 2 pm on both days; each performance lasts about 20 minutes. In autumn the karakuri is performed by the Hotei-tai float.

The autumn festival in 2026

Ten of the eleven autumn floats are on show in 2026, because Gyōjin-tai is under repair. The published schedule:

• October 9: floats lined up for viewing (hikisoroe) from 9 am to 5 pm; karakuri at noon and 2 pm; the shrine procession from 1:20 to 3:30 pm; floats pulled through the streets (hikimawashi) from 1:30 to 3:30 pm; and the night festival (yoi-matsuri) from 6 to 9:30 pm, when each float is lit by about 100 lanterns and heads home to the parting song "Takai Yama".
• October 10: hikisoroe from 9 am to 4 pm; karakuri at 11 am and 1 pm; the shrine procession from 8:30 am to noon and from 1:30 to 4 pm.

In rain the floats stay in their storehouses (yatai-gura) and are shown there, and the hikimawashi and night festival are cancelled.

The spring festival

The spring procession includes tōkeiraku (闘鶏楽) dancers and lion dances, and the night festival is held on April 14 (from 6 to 8:30 pm in 2026). The 2027 spring festival falls on Wednesday, April 14 and Thursday, April 15.

Tips

• Arrive early for the karakuri performances, which draw the densest crowds.
• Watch the weather forecast: rain changes the program on the day.
• Book accommodation in Takayama well ahead for either festival.

The Takayama Festival is counted with Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and the Chichibu Night Festival among Japan's three great float festivals.