A Portable Shrine Enters the River at a Famous Cherry Blossom Spot Hamura City – Yakumo Shrine Spring Grand Festival “Hamura Tenno Festival”
Event Period:A weekend in mid-April
Venue:Hamura City
What is the Yakumo Shrine Spring Grand Festival?
This festival might be considered somewhat unusual. The Yakumo Shrine, which is enshrined within an Inari shrine, joins together with five other shrines in Hamura City—Aso Shrine, Shinmei Shrine, Tamagawa Shrine, Gonokami Shrine, and Matsumoto Shrine—to hold a joint festival. Because of this, it is also known as the Hamura Tenno Festival.
On the first day (Saturday), six festival floats from each shrine gather in the plaza at the west exit of Hamura Station on the JR Ome Line. Musicians play lively festival music with flutes and drums on the floats, while performers wearing humorous masks such as Hyottoko and fox masks dance in rhythm, energizing the crowd.
A Colorful Parade Through the City
On the second day, floats, portable shrines, and brightly colored flower lantern towers in white, blue, red, and yellow parade through the city.
The highlight of the festival is the “Kawa-ire” (entering the river) of the Yakumo Shrine portable shrine. The mikoshi proceeds to the Hamura Intake Weir on the Tama River, where a rare water procession takes place as the shrine is carried through the river itself.
In front of large crowds waiting along the riverbank, the children’s portable shrine appears first in the early afternoon. With spirited chants, the carriers step into the water and move back and forth across the shallow stream.
Afterward, the adult mikoshi arrives. The carriers wade into the river until the water reaches their shoulders, vigorously lifting and swaying the shrine while crossing the river. This dramatic moment is the festival’s greatest spectacle.
A Tradition Passed Down Through Generations
The portable shrines and floats used in the festival are carefully preserved at each shrine and have been handed down for many years. Despite their historical value, Yakumo Shrine boldly carries these precious mikoshi into the Tama River.
Originally, the Tenno Festival was held in August. According to tradition, the custom of entering the river began when participants jumped into the water to escape the intense summer heat. Because the festival also prays for protection from epidemics and misfortune during the summer, it came to be known as the Tenno Festival.
The sight of people carrying the mikoshi through the river with water up to their shoulders is both powerful and unforgettable, drawing many spectators every year.
A Seasonal Tradition for the Community
The Hamura Intake Weir is one of Hamura’s most famous landmarks. Built in 1653 during the Edo period, it served as the intake point for the Tamagawa Josui canal, which supplied water from the Tama River to Edo (modern Tokyo).
This historic spring festival held at the weir has become an indispensable seasonal tradition for the local community.
From late March through April, Hamura City is filled with flowers. Under the name Hamura Flower and Water Festival, seasonal events such as the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Tulip Festival are held one after another. One of the charms of the Yakumo Shrine Spring Grand Festival is that visitors can enjoy both the festival and these beautiful flowers at the same time.
| Event Period | A weekend in mid-April |
|---|---|
| Address | Hamura Weir, 3-8-32 Hanehigashi, Hamura City, Tokyo |
| Website | |
| Access | 10-minute walk from Hamura Station on the JR Ome Line Note: Festival dates may change depending on the 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 |
