What is The Horanenya?

The Jozan Inari Shrine Shikinen Shinkosai Festival is fondly known as The Horanenya. From former times this festival together with the "Kangensai" Festival on Miyajima Island and the "Tenjin" Festival in Osaka Tenman, was one of the three 'large ship' festivals in Japan. Matsue City is proud of the fact that the Horanenya Festival is the biggest festival in the region.

This festival originated in 1648, as a result of a bad harvest ten years after the Lord of Matsue Castle Matsudaira Naomasa came to Izumo. At that time the spirit of the God was transffered from the Jozan Shrine to the Adakaya Shrine where people prayed for a week for a bountiful harvest.

In 1808 when a boat carrying the God's spirit ran aground due to heavy rain it was helped by a fisherman from Makata and brought safely to the Adakaya Shrine. As a result of this, Kaitenma boats (rowing boats which escort the God to and from the Adakaya Shrine) have been added to the festival. This Shinto ceremony which prays for people's happiness and a bountiful harvest takes place every twelve years. However it took place in 1985 after sixteen years.
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The Horanenya Festival will take place from May 17-25, 1997 as the main event of the "Fifth Nationwide Regional Traditional Entertainment Festival".

Togyosai "the God is moved"@lay 17 (Sat)

Chunichisai "middle day"@lay 21 (Wed)

Kangyosai "the God is brought back"@lay 25 (Sun)



Rowing boats called 'Kaitenma' on which the dancing takes place leave from five different regions forming a line about 1 km long. these boats decorated with multicoloured flags and bunting float along creating a picture scroll scene. On the boats the participants dressed in old period costumes play instruments, dance and sing out "hoooenya, horaneiei, yoyasanosa, eiraranoranra", while great numbers of young people row these boats along Shinjiko, Ohashigawa river and Nakaumi facinating onlookers as they go.