Katori Jingū Shrine’s Jinkō Festival

A festival that has been passed down for about 800 years. Katori Jingū Shrine’s Jinkō Festival is a reenactment the triumphal parade that took place after Futsunushi-no-Mikoto suppressed the eastern provinces of Japan. During this festival, about 200 shrine parishioners wear Heian period-style (794-1185) clothing or samurai armor, hold shields and long-handled spears, or carry the portable shrine as they walk around Katori Jingū Shrine in a procession. Halfway through the procession, a ceremony is held at the parking lot at the entrance of the front approach. After the ceremony, the parishioners return to the main building of the shrine. In addition, before the festival, Katori Shintō-ryū martial arts, a Designated Intangible Cultural Asset of Chiba Prefecture, is demonstrated and the Dutch Orchestra performs.

During the Shikinen Jinkō Festival, which happens once every 12 years during the Year of the Horse, as many as 3,000 shrine parishioners wear armor and other traditional outfits. They walk for about four kilometers in a large procession and ride on a colorful boat around the riverside district town.

Note: The next Shikinen Jinkō Festival will be held in 2026

April 15, beginning at 1:00 PM

Katori Jingū Shrine

1697-1 Katori, Katori City

• 10 min by car from JR Sawara Station
• 30 min walk from JR Katori Station

• Take the Chiba Kotsu Bus from JR Sawara Station bound for JR Omigawa Station via Kamisato. Get off at Katori Jingū Shrine bus stop.
• Take the Kantetsu Green Bus from JR Sawara Station bound for Katori Jingū Shrine.

Note: There are only a few busses per day.

• 2 min from Sawara-Katori IC on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway

• Take the Kantetsu Green Bus from Tokyo Station bound for Hakota Station. Get off at Katori Jingū Shrine bus stop and walk for 1 minute.
• Take the Chiba Kotsu Bus from Hamamatsu-chō Station or Tokyo Station bound for Chōshi via Yatsu. Get off at Sawara Katori bus stop and walk for 15 minutes.