Shobu Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮 菖蒲祭)

What Is the Shobu Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine?

The Shobu Festival (Shobusai, 菖蒲祭) is held every year on May 5, the day of Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮) in Kamakura (鎌倉). Tango no Sekku is also called the iris festival (shobu no sekku), and at the imperial court it was one of the seasonal banquets called sechie (節会), held with great enthusiasm from the Heian period. Since ancient times, the shobu, a fragrant iris-like plant, has been thought to drive away impurity and evil. Warlords of the Sengoku period tied bundles of it to the maedate (前立), the crest on the front of a helmet, to ward off misfortune. Because “shobu” sounds the same as shobu (尚武), meaning to value martial spirit, it was also a favorite pattern on armor, and in the Edo period the day became linked with wishes for boys to grow up healthy. At the Shobu Festival, the shrine prays for good health and long life for its ujiko (氏子), the local parishioners, and its sukeisha (崇敬者), worshippers from further afield.

Date and Time

Every year on May 5, a Shinto ritual begins at 1:00 PM at the Maiden (舞殿), the hall that stands directly in front of the Grand Stone Staircase (大石段), and is followed by an offering of bugaku (舞楽), traditional court dance.

Highlights

For the ritual, the priests line up in front of the shrine office (shamusho, 社務所), purify themselves at the haraedo (祓戸), the purification place, and then step up onto the Maiden. Shobu leaves decorate the heishi (瓶子), the sake vessels offered before the deity, and the ritual proceeds with the reading of norito (祝詞), Shinto prayers, a dance offered by miko (巫女), shrine maidens, and the tamagushi offering (tamagushi hairei, 玉串拝礼), in which sacred branches are presented.

After the ritual, the gagaku (雅楽) ensemble Tokyo Gakuso (東京楽所) offers bugaku on the Maiden. Following the traditional format, the program opens with Enbu (振鉾), in which dancers holding halberds purify the stage, and closes with Chogeishi (長慶子), a purely instrumental piece; the pieces in between change from year to year. Dancers in brightly colored costumes move to the sound of the sho (笙), a mouth organ, the hichiriki (篳篥), a double-reed pipe, and drums.

About the Maiden

The Maiden is also called the Lower Worship Hall (shimohaiden, 下拝殿). It stands on the site of the corridor of the Wakamiya (若宮) shrine, where Shizuka Gozen (静御前) is said to have danced before Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝).

Watching the Festival

Beside the Maiden, tents are set up with seats for people invited to the shrine’s keirokai (敬老会), a gathering to honor the elderly held on the same day, and the seats are for invited guests only. The general public can watch standing around the Maiden. The festival falls in the middle of Golden Week, so everywhere from the area around Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅) to the shrine grounds is crowded, and by the time the bugaku begins, a wall of people forms around the Maiden.

In spring, during the Kamakura Festival (鎌倉まつり), held for a week from the second Sunday of April, the Shizuka no Mai (静の舞) dance is offered on the same Maiden. Every year on April 2, the Reisai Festival at Yui Wakamiya Shrine (由比若宮例祭) takes place at Yui Wakamiya (由比若宮) in Zaimokuza (材木座), said to be where the shrine began. For New Year events, see Hatsumode at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (初詣).

Access | Visiting During Your Stay at Toshi’s Place

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is about a 10-minute walk from the East Exit of JR Kamakura Station or from Enoden (江ノ電) Kamakura Station. If you are staying at Toshi’s Place, take the Enoden from Hase Station (長谷駅) or Wadazuka Station (和田塚駅) to Kamakura Station, then walk along Wakamiya-oji Avenue (若宮大路).

Kamakura is crowded with day-trippers during Golden Week, but staying overnight lets you head out without rushing. At Toshi’s Place, fully unstaffed smart hotels with fully equipped kitchens and room-only stays, you can enjoy the festival at your own pace.

Summary

The Shobu Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is a Tango no Sekku festival held every year on May 5 from 1:00 PM at the Maiden, where a Shinto ritual is followed by bugaku offered by Tokyo Gakuso. The public can watch standing around the Maiden. For the shrine’s highlights throughout the year, see Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

Basic Information

Google Map