Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival

The Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival is Kanazawa's yearly festival in honour of Maeda Toshiie, the founder of the Kaga Domain. It recalls his entry into Kanazawa Castle on 14 June 1583, which laid the foundations of the city. The date of the entry follows the records of Oyama Shrine.

History

The festival grew out of celebrations held alongside the Hokokumatsuri (封国祭), a rite at Oyama Shrine. From 1923 to 1945 they took place as the Kanazawa City Festival. After the war, on the guidance of the occupation authorities, the Oyama Shrine supporters' association held them as the Oyama Festival for six years from 1946.

The present festival counts from 1952, when the City of Kanazawa and the Kanazawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a commerce and industry festival. It has since grown to take in the Hyakumangoku Parade and other traditions handed down in the city for some 400 years. In 1984, at the 33rd festival, an actor played Toshiie in the parade for the first time, and the festival became known across Japan.

What happens

The festival runs over three days. On the first, water is drawn in a ceremony at Kanazawa Shrine and Seisonkaku, prayers and a tea offering are held at Oyama Shrine, and in the evening lanterns are floated down the Asano River in the Kaga Yuzen lantern floating.

The second day centres on the Hyakumangoku Parade, a costumed procession that re-enacts Toshiie's entry into the castle. It sets off from the east plaza of Kanazawa Station and ends in Kanazawa Castle Park with a celebration of his arrival. In the evening, dance groups fill the main streets in the Hyakumangoku Odori Nagashi, and Noh is performed by firelight in the Hyakumangoku Takigi Noh in Kanazawa Castle Park.

On the second and third days, the Hyakumangoku Chakai tea gathering is held in and around Kenrokuen, and the Kaga Hyakumangoku Bon Shogatsu fair with food stalls takes place in Kanazawa Castle Park.

The 2026 edition

The 75th festival took place in 2026. The actors Daito Shunsuke and Sugai Yuka, who play Maeda Toshiie and his wife Matsu in the 2026 NHK historical drama Toyotomi Kyodai!, took the roles of Toshiie and Omatsu no Kata in the parade. The parade itself was called off that year because of stormy weather.