Hōrai Matsuri

What Is the Hōrai Matsuri?

The Hōrai Matsuri is the autumn festival of Kinken-gū shrine, held each autumn in the Tsurugi district of Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture. It is known as a spirited and highly original festival in which platforms bearing enormous decorative figures—called tsukurimono, crafted from rice straw bales and other materials into towering warrior dolls and historical figures—are paraded through the town. Lion dances and pole-twirling performances are also dedicated, filling the autumn town of Tsurugi with fervor.

History and Origins

The Hōrai Matsuri has long continued as an autumn harvest festival of Kinken-gū, one of the centers of the Hakusan faith. Kinken-gū is an ancient shrine situated at a key point of the Tedori River alluvial fan, looking up to the sacred peak of Mount Haku, and has long drawn the devotion of the region. The festival's symbolic tsukurimono are made from rice bales and farm produce on themes drawn from current topics, history, and legend, embodying gratitude for the harvest and prayers for an abundant crop in the year to come. The tradition of local people vying to craft the finest works continues to this day.

Highlights

The greatest attraction is the power and originality of the tsukurimono rising high atop their platforms. The sight of giant figures shaped as warriors and historical personages winding through the town is magnificent, and the themes that change each year are part of the enjoyment. The dedicated lion dances and the spirited pole-twirling performances by young men are also highlights, enlivening the festival together with traditional music. Under the clear autumn air, visitors can feel the fervor of a whole community united.

When It Takes Place

The festival is typically held in autumn (October) at Kinken-gū shrine and the surrounding area in the Tsurugi district of Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture. As a harvest festival celebrating autumn's bounty, its season is autumn. Because dates and parade routes vary from year to year, visitors are advised to confirm details through official announcements from Hakusan City and the local tourism association.

Access

The Tsurugi district venue is conveniently reached via Tsurugi Station on the Hokuriku Railroad Ishikawa Line. It can be accessed by the Hokuriku Railroad from the direction of Kanazawa. By car, routes such as the Hokuriku Expressway are used, but because traffic restrictions may be in place during the festival, public transport is recommended.

Around the Area

Tsurugi in Hakusan City is a temple-gate town that prospered as one of the pilgrimage entrances to the sacred Mount Haku, and is a place of faith home to the head shrine of Shirayama Hime Jinja. Visitors can enjoy the nature along the Tedori River, hot springs at the foot of Mount Haku, and local sake and Japanese sweets—history, culture, and nature all tied to the Hakusan faith. Combined with the autumn festival, it is an area where one can savor the distinctive travel mood of the foothills of Mount Haku.

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