Yasaka Festival in Washinomiya

Yasaka Festival in Washimiya: “Tenno-sama”

The Yasaka Festival, featuring “Tenno-sama,” is an annual summer festival held in the Washimiya district of Kuki City, Saitama Prefecture. It takes place every year on the evening of the fourth Sunday of July. The festival in 2023 was held on July 23rd (Sunday).

This festival is conducted to appease the deity Ushitora-no-Konjin, considered to be the deity that wards off illnesses and natural disasters, especially during the susceptible summer season. Five festival floats adorned with lanterns are paraded through the streets, accompanied by the resonant sounds of flutes, taiko drums, and traditional festival music.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival had been repeatedly canceled, but in 2023, it made a comeback after a four-year hiatus.

Notably, the festival features the appearance of the “Lucky Star Mikoshi,” a portable shrine adorned with characters from the anime “Lucky Star” (“らき☆すた”). Washimiya Shrine, the setting for the anime, is modeled after Takamiya Shrine, where the father of Kagami and Tsukasa, Tadao Hiiragi, serves as a priest. Washimiya Shrine is frequently depicted in the anime, and it is often said, “When it comes to the holy land of Lucky Star, it’s Washimiya Shrine.”

 

 

 

 

Event Summary

Washinomiya Shrine

Period

July 28, 2024

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