![[April 14th and 15th] Takayama Festival, one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals, the Spring Takayama Festival (Sanno Festival)](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2023/12/27-160081.webp)
The spring Takayama Festival (Sanno Festival) is the annual festival of Hie Shrine and is held every year on April 14th and 15th. The autumn Takayama Festival (Hachiman Festival) is the annual festival of Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine and is held every year on October 9th and 10th. The term "Takayama Festival" refers to both of these festivals and is considered one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals.
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Surrounded by the magnificent nature represented by the Hida Mountains (Northern Alps), Hida Takayama is a town that is alive with history and traditional culture, such as old townscapes that retain traces of the Edo period and Takayama festivals held in spring and autumn. There are also hot springs such as Hida Takayama Onsen and Okuhida Onsenkyo, as well as gourmet food such as Hida beef and Japanese sake. In particular, the Takayama Festival, which is held in spring and autumn, is characterized by a festival procession centered around gorgeous floats (dashi floats), elaborately moving mechanical dolls, and reproductions of picture scrolls, and many people from Japan and abroad come to watch. I will visit. It is about 6 hours from Tokyo and about 4 hours from Osaka. There are some of Japan's leading tourist destinations such as Shirakawa-go, Kamikochi, and Kanazawa in the surrounding area, and you can visit various places around Hida Takayama. There is a mix of various types of accommodations, including Western-style hotels, traditional inns, homely guesthouses, and hostels suitable for long-term stays, and we have the capacity to meet the needs of our users. The people of Hida, who are involved in various fields such as nature, history, tradition, culture, and gastronomy, are simple and warm, and offer heartfelt hospitality to visitors.
The Takayama Festival's float procession, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, showcases the magnificent craftsmanship of Hida's artisans. Twelve floats, designated as important tangible folk cultural properties of Japan, are lined up in full glory.
The Takayama Festival is believed to have originated in the late 16th or 17th century. The Takayama Festival is a collective term for two festivals: the "Sanno Festival" in spring and the "Hachiman Festival" in autumn, and has been carefully preserved and passed down by the people of Takayama.
Among these, the Sanno Festival, which heralds the arrival of spring in Takayama, is the annual festival of Hie Shrine (Sanno-sama), the tutelary shrine of the southern half of the former Takayama castle town. Every year on April 14th and 15th, 12 floats, the treasures of the Sanno Festival's float groups, appear in Kamimachi, on the south side of Yasukawa Street, the stage for the festival. Three of these floats perform Karakuri (mechanical puppet) performances, and lively traditional events are also held during the festival.
The festival's origins date back to the time of the Kanamori clan, the feudal lords of Hida Province (1585-1692), and the floats are said to have originated around 1718. The festival showcases the skill of artisans through the performance of mechanical puppets and the elaborately designed floats.
During the spring Takayama Festival, twelve "festival floats," sometimes called "moving Yomeimon Gates," are paraded through the streets, showcasing their magnificent and dazzling appearance. In addition, a festival procession of several hundred people, dressed in traditional costumes such as cockfighting music and kamishimo (formal samurai attire), parades through the festival area, led by traditional music, court music, and lion dances. At night, each float is lit with approximately 100 lanterns, beautifully decorating the night sky. The Takayama Festival is a celebration that invigorates the spirits of the people of Hida and is the unwavering pride of Takayama.
A procession of hundreds of people dressed in traditional costumes, as if stepping back in time.
![[April 14th and 15th] Takayama Festival, one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals, the Spring Takayama Festival (Sanno Festival)](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2023/12/27-160114.webp)
A grand procession of several hundred people, centered around the portable shrine (mikoshi), will parade through the town, featuring lion dances, cockfighting music, and guards in traditional samurai attire. The procession will depart from Hie Shrine on the afternoon of the 14th, visiting the homes of the parishioners, before the enshrined deity will spend the night at a temporary shrine. On the afternoon of the 15th, the procession will depart from the temporary shrine and return to Hie Shrine. The traditional costumes are a must-see. *Traffic restrictions may be in place in front of the temporary shrine during the events.
A magnificent sight as the gorgeously decorated floats are lined up and paraded through the streets.
![[April 14th and 15th] Takayama Festival, one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals, the Spring Takayama Festival (Sanno Festival)](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2023/12/27-160115.webp)
The floats of the Takayama Festival, which showcase the craftsmanship of Hida artisans, are designated as important tangible folk cultural properties of Japan in both spring and autumn, with all 12 floats gathering in the spring. Four of the floats—Kaguradai, Sanbaso, Ryujindai, and Ishibashidai—are pulled to the plaza in front of the temporary shrine at the west end of Nakabashi Bridge (in front of Takayama Jinya), while the other eight floats are pulled to their designated locations.
Mechanical dolls with intricate movements are captivating.
![[April 14th and 15th] Takayama Festival, one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals, the Spring Takayama Festival (Sanno Festival)](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2023/12/27-160117.webp)
In front of the temporary shrine, the Karakuri (mechanical puppets) of the Sanbaso, Ishibashidai, and Ryujindai are performed. All three require highly skilled rope operators to manipulate the puppets using multiple ropes, and the delicate yet bold performances of the lifelike puppets are truly awe-inspiring.
*For safety reasons and to prevent accidents, depending on the crowd situation, entry to the area in front of the temporary shrine may be restricted even before the start of the Karakuri performance. (The Karakuri performance is usually held twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, on both days.)
The food stalls lit with lanterns create a magical atmosphere.
![[April 14th and 15th] Takayama Festival, one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals, the Spring Takayama Festival (Sanno Festival)](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2023/12/27-160131.webp)
The night festival on the 14th offers a different, more fantastical atmosphere than the daytime festival. Each float, adorned with approximately 100 lanterns, slowly parades through the town, and after passing the procession, returns to its storage shed while singing the farewell song "Takaiyama" (High Mountain). The contrast between the swaying trails of light from the lanterns and the pitch-black townscape is exceptionally beautiful.
The location where the Spring Takayama Festival is held
Hie Shrine Otabisho (temporary shrine for the deity)
Festival schedule (tentative)
Dates: April 14th (Wed) - 15th (Thu), 2027
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