Tokyo Tama Tourist Site

What is the Yabo Tenmangu Annual Festival?

Throughout the year, Yabo Tenmangu Shrine hosts a variety of traditional ceremonies and events, including the New Year’s Day Festival (Saitansai), Dondoyaki Fire Festival, Plum Blossom Festival, Summer Purification Rite (Nagoshi no Oharae), and Teiryosai (Bonfire Festival). Among these, the Annual Festival (Reisai) held in September is considered the shrine’s largest and most important event.

The festival takes place each year on the Saturday and Sunday closest to September 25. On Saturday evening, local parishioners gather at the shrine for the Yoimiya Pilgrimage, which includes Shinto rituals and a traditional lion dance performance. The highlight of the festival follows on Sunday with the spectacular Mantō Procession.

The Magnificent Hanamantō Lanterns

On the day of the procession, more than a dozen Hanamantō lanterns assemble in front of Yaho Station. Each lantern consists of a large umbrella-like structure made from bamboo and decorated with colorful paper flowers. The handles are adorned with framed historical illustrations and calligraphy. Some of the largest lanterns weigh more than 100 kilograms, requiring considerable strength and skill from the men in traditional yukata who carry and maneuver them.

The procession departs at noon and takes approximately two hours to reach the shrine grounds. Along the way, participants cross the historic Koshu Kaido Road and descend the stone staircase leading to the shrine. The towering Hanamantō sway dramatically as they move, captivating spectators with movements that are at times graceful and at other times solemn and powerful.

When the procession arrives at the shrine grounds, a traditional lion dance begins in the sumo ring. The lion heads used here are known as Jubako Jishi, or “stacked-box lions,” because their distinctive shape resembles stacked lacquer boxes. Their appearance differs greatly from the more familiar carved wooden lion heads found elsewhere.

The dance tells a story of courtship in which two male lions compete for the affection of a single female lion. The energetic performance continues for nearly an hour.

As the lion dance draws to a close, the dismantling of the giant lanterns begins. Pieces of the flower-decorated structures, known as baren, are believed to bring good fortune. Because of this, visitors eagerly compete to take home fragments as lucky charms.

The Ancient Lion Dance of the Eve Festival

Another highlight of the annual festival is the Lion Dance Yoimiya Pilgrimage, held on Saturday evening from around 8:00 p.m.

Parishioners gather carrying lanterns and participate in a unique ritual procession led by tall Takahari Lanterns and ceremonial iron staffs known as Kanabō. The procession circles the shrine’s main sanctuary three times in a clockwise direction.

Following the completion of the ritual, the shrine grounds become the stage for the Koshiki Shishimai, an ancient-style lion dance tradition said to date back to the Heian period (794–1185). This valuable folk performing art has been designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Kunitachi City.

Event Period	Annually in September, on the Saturday and Sunday closest to September 25
Official Website	http://www.yabotenmangu.or.jp/ Note:Event dates may vary from year to year. Please contact the shrine directly for the latest schedule.
Access	• Approximately 3 minutes on foot from JR Yaho Station • Approximately 10 minutes by bus from JR Kunitachi Station, Keio Fuchu Station, or Keio Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station • Get off at the “Yabo Tenmangu” bus stop
Photo Courtesy	Takako Mogaki