A Grand Procession Through the Sacred Mountain in Fresh Greenery Ome City – Musashi Mitake Shrine Hinode Festival
Event Period:Early May
Venue:176 Mitakesan, Ome City, Tokyo
What is the Musashi Mitake Shrine Hinode Festival?
Musashi Mitake Shrine is a shrine long revered as one of the most sacred mountains in the Kanto region. It stands on the summit of Mount Mitake (929 m above sea level) in Ome City, Tokyo.
Visitors can hike to the shrine, but it is also accessible by cable car. From Mitake Station on the JR Ome Line, it is about a 16-minute bus ride to Takimoto Station, where the cable car of the Mitake Tozan Railway departs for the mountaintop.
Every year in early May, the shrine hosts the prestigious Hinode Festival, featuring traditional armored warrior processions. This festival dates back to the medieval period and is believed to have originated from the initiation rituals of mountain ascetics known as yamabushi. Historically, the ceremony was held at sunrise on the 8th day of the 2nd month in the old lunar calendar.
The festival begins the evening before with the Yoimiya (eve festival). During this ritual, the deity is covered with a white silk curtain and carried in a ceremonial procession called the Miyuki Procession to a temporary resting place known as the Ot tabisho in Mitake-daira. In the dim evening light, lanterns illuminate the procession as it advances solemnly.
The following day, during the Hongu (main festival), a departure ritual is held before a grand procession of about 100 participants begins its journey. The procession includes Shinto priests, the deity Sarutahiko-no-Mikoto, attendants dressed in white robes, armored warriors, a portable shrine, children participants, and other worshippers. They walk through the settlement scattered with traditional pilgrims’ lodgings known as shukubo, heading toward the shrine.
At the summit of Mount Mitake stand the main hall and worship hall of Musashi Mitake Shrine, along with many smaller shrines dedicated to various deities. Surrounding them are shukubo lodgings run by hereditary shrine families known as oshi, who historically guided and accommodated pilgrims. As the procession passes these lodgings, people gather along the approach path to welcome it.
After climbing the final 330 stone steps, the procession reaches the shrine. The portable shrine circles the worship hall three times, marking the conclusion of the sacred journey. Finally, the deity is once again covered with the silk curtain and returned to the shrine, bringing the two-day festival to a close.
About Musashi Mitake Shrine
The founding of Musashi Mitake Shrine is said to date back to the 7th year of the reign of Emperor Sujin. According to tradition, when Takenunakawawake-no-Mikoto pacified the eastern provinces, the deities Okuninushi-no-Mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto were enshrined here.
During the medieval period, mountain worship flourished, and the area became a center of Shugendo, a form of mountain asceticism. By the Edo period, the shrine’s oshi priests spread its teachings widely, attracting increasing numbers of common pilgrims. Pilgrimage groups called ko were formed, and the shukubo lodgings developed to accommodate them. Today, these shukubo are open to ordinary visitors as well.
The Mountain of Wolf Worship
Musashi Mitake Shrine is also known for its wolf worship. Wolves were believed to protect crops by driving away animals that damaged fields, and they gradually became revered as guardian spirits protecting people from misfortune throughout the Kanto region.
According to the ancient chronicle Nihon Shoki, when Yamato Takeru became lost deep in the mountains, a white wolf guided him and his army. Yamato Takeru ordered the wolf to protect the land and ward off calamities. The wolf then became the deity Okuchi no Makami and remained on Mount Mitake.
In the shrine families’ homes around the mountain, statues of the sacred wolf—called Oinu-sama—have been handed down for generations and carefully preserved. Although the Japanese wolf is believed to have gone extinct in 1905, it is said that wolves once coexisted with people on Mount Mitake. Their spiritual presence still lives on in local faith today.
Musashi Mitake Shrine enshrines this sacred wolf deity said to have guided Yamato Takeru. The shrine is widely worshipped as a place for protection against evil, protection from disasters, and prayers for abundant harvests. Today it is also popular among dog lovers, and its solemn atmosphere and rich natural surroundings make it a well-known power spot.
From the mountaintop station, Mitakesan Station, the approach to the shrine is lined with souvenir shops, restaurants, and many shukubo lodgings. Visitors can freely worship at the shrine between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and it attracts not only Japanese visitors but also many international travelers.
| Event Period | Early May |
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| Address | 176 Mitakesan, Ome City, Tokyo |
| Website | |
| Access | From Mitake Station on the JR Ome Line, take a bus to Cable-shita. Note: The festival dates may vary from year to year. Please contact the shrine for the exact schedule. |
| Discover more about the Tama region | https://at-tama.tokyo/lang_en/ Photos courtesy of Takako Shigegaki |
