Hita Gion Festival 2024

The Hita Gion Festival (Hita Gion Matsuri) is a ritual for warding off evil, including a float procession, held in Hita City, Oita Prefecture.

Overview: It is one of the Gion festivals modeled after the Gion Festival in Kyoto. The festival takes place at the Mameda Hachimangu Shrine in the Mameda district, the Kuma Hachimangu Shrine in the Kuma district, and the Taketa Waka Hachiman-gu Shrine (Wakamiya Shrine) in the Taketa district.

The event spans over twenty days from the construction of the floats (called “koya-iri”) to the celebration for participants (called “yabu-iri”). The float procession, a part of the festival, is held on the weekends after July 20th each year. During this period, a total of nine floats parade through the streets: four in the Mameda district (Minatomachi, Shimomachi, Nakajomachi, and Kamimachi), and four in the Kuma and Taketa districts (Yamatocho, Kawaramachi, Wakanomiya-cho, and Mikucho), along with the Heisei Yama (float) from the Hachimangu Shrine. Additionally, one float from the former Ueyokocho is included, making a total of ten existing floats. Among these, the Hita Gion Yama Hall permanently displays four floats from the Kuma and Taketa districts, one from the Heisei era, and one from the former Ueyokocho. In addition to the floats, portable shrines from the Hachimangu Shrine and the Taketa Waka Hachiman-gu Shrine also lead processions.

 

 

 

 

Event overview

Hita City, Oita Prefecture

period

July 20th (Sat) and 21st (Sun), 2024

Official Web：Click Here