Katori Jingū Shrine’s Setsubun Festival

更新日:2021年8月13日

Katori Jingū Shrine, which enshrines Futsunushi-no-Ōkami, a deity who appears in many famous Japanese mythologies, is the head shrine of 400 Katori Shrines nationwide. Before the Meiji period (1868-1912), Ise Jingū Shrine, Katori Jingū Shrine, and Kashima Jingū Shrine were the only shrines given Jingū status (a Jingū shrine is a high-status Shinto shrine with connection to the Imperial House of Japan), making them the most famous shrines in Japan.

The Setsubun Festival, also known as the Bean-Throwing Festival, takes place on the last day of winter in the traditional Japanese calendar and involves rituals to drive away the previous year’s bad fortunes and evil spirits for the year to come. The festival begins with a purification ceremony and a Shinto prayer recital. Shinto priests then dance with swords to drive out evil spirits. Following the dance is the Ceremony of Resounding Bowstrings, in which bowstrings are used to create a sound that demons hate. Scared by the noise, red and blue demons come out, and lucky girls throw beans at them to drive them out of the prayer hall. Finally, men and women born in the year with the same Japanese zodiac sign as the current year, as well as professional sumo wrestlers, line up and throw lucky beans and lucky money to the shrine visitors.

Date and Time

Date: February 3rd

Time: from 1:00 PM

Venue

Katori Jingū Shrine

1697-1 Katori, Katori City

Access

By train:

  • 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.

By car:

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

By highway bus:

  • 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.

Contact Information

0478-57-3211

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