Sumiyoshi Matsuri

What Is the Sumiyoshi Matsuri?

The Sumiyoshi Matsuri is the grand annual festival of Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine in Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka, held each summer. Known as the festival that brings the many summer festivals of Osaka to a close, it is counted among the "three great summer festivals of Osaka." At the heart of the festival is the spirited rite in which a portable shrine bearing the sacred spirit processes from Sumiyoshi Taisha to the Shukuin Tongū in Sakai. As a tradition announcing the end of summer in Osaka, it has long been familiarly called the "Ohara'i" (purification).

History and Origins

Sumiyoshi Taisha is the head shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines across Japan, enshrining the three Sumiyoshi deities, guardians of sea traffic and voyages. A venerable old shrine that has drawn the deep devotion of the court, the nobility, and the common people since ancient times, it counts the Sumiyoshi Matsuri as the most important of its festivals, with a long history. Together with the Tenjin Matsuri and the Aizen Matsuri that color the Osaka summer, it makes up the "three great summer festivals of Osaka," handed down to this day with the meaning of the "Ohara'i" that purifies people of their impurities at summer's end.

Highlights

The greatest attraction is the mikoshi togyo (portable-shrine procession) that winds from Sumiyoshi Taisha to the Shukuin Tongū in Sakai. The sight of a massive portable shrine weighing nearly a ton, carried by many bearers to the call of "bēra, bēra" and crossing the Yamato River toward Sakai, is full of intensity. In the Nagoshi no Harae rite held before the festival, a rite of passing through a ring of chigaya reeds is performed to pray for good health, and graceful dances are dedicated by shrine maidens. It is a festival full of tradition and fervor, befitting the close of the Osaka summer.

When It Takes Place

The festival is held from 31 July to 1 August at Sumiyoshi Taisha and the surrounding area in Osaka. As a summer grand festival crowning the three great summer festivals of Osaka, its season is summer. Because the details of the portable-shrine procession and the various rites vary slightly from year to year, visitors are advised to confirm in advance through Sumiyoshi Taisha's official announcements.

Access

Sumiyoshi Taisha enjoys excellent access, just a short walk from Sumiyoshi-taisha Station on the Nankai Main Line and Sumiyoshi-toriimae Station on the Hankai Tramway (streetcar). It can easily be reached by Nankai Railway from central Osaka (the Namba area). As the shrine bustles with many worshippers during the festival, public transport is recommended.

Around the Area

Sumiyoshi Taisha is one of Osaka's foremost power spots, famed for its graceful arched bridge (the taiko-bashi "drum bridge") and its main halls in the old Sumiyoshi-zukuri style (national treasures). It draws among the largest numbers of worshippers in the country for the New Year's first visit. The surrounding area is also close to towns of traditional industry such as the cutlery and Japanese sweets of Sakai, with good access to the Namba and Tennōji areas of central Osaka. It is an area where one can enjoy the history and faith of Osaka along with a summer festival.

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