Home See & Do
Furu Matsuri Festival
11th Century
The colorful main festival of Isonokami Jingu shrine, going back nearly 1,000 years.
One of the major festivals of Tenri City is the Furu Matsuri festival, the main festival of Isonokami Jingu shrine.
This festival is said to have begun in 1081 CE on the orders of Emperor Shirakawa, when 10 horses were offered to the shrine. Today, the Furu Matsuri festival is the biggest festival of Isonokami Jingu shrine, and is treasured by locals and many others.
In the morning, people wearing Heian period (7794-1195 CE) clothing ride horses from Ta Town to Isonokami Jingu shrine, and bring a sacred Gohei to the shrine. The Gohei is offered to the shrine in the main ceremony in the morning.
The Togyo Gyoretsu procession begins in the afternoon, when a procession of about 200 people walk 4 km one direction to Isonokami Jingu shrine’s Otabisho, a separate part of the shrine located in Ta Town. Along the way, the procession heads down the Tenri Main Street, which was once the main approach for Isonokami Jingu shrine, and turns onto the Kamikaido road, once a major highway of the region. In the procession, local people carry the Gohoren, a traditional carriage in which the deity of the shrine is enshrined. This Gohoren is the largest in Nara prefecture.
After a ceremony and offerings are held at the Otabisho, the procession heads back the same way to Isonokami Jingu shrine later in the afternoon. Upon return to the shrine, the Kangyosai ceremony is held.
The Furu Matsuri festival goes back nearly 1,000 years, and is one of the times we can see how tradition and culture are carried on in Tenri City. We hope you too can experience this historical, colorful festival!
Access
By train: Isonokami Jingu shrine is about 2 km east of both JR and Kintetsu Tenri Stations.
By car: Isonokami Jingu shrine is about 2 km south of the Tenri Higashi IC on the Meihan Expressway, and 4 km southeast of the Tenri IC on the Nishi-Meihan Expressway.
Environment
The Furu Matsuri festival begins at Isonokami Jingu shrine, and the procession walks about 4 km one direction to Ta Town. Along the way, they walk on the Tenri Main Street, which was once the main approach of Isonokami Jingu shrine. Today, the shopping arcade has a wide variety of traditional and modern shops, and is a place we can see some of the daily life of Tenri City. From there, they turn onto the Kamikaido road, which was once a major highway of the region, and maintains its traditional streetscape in many parts.
In addition to being a traditional and colorful festival, the procession of the Furu Matsuri festival also passes through some interesting parts of Tenri City.
Point
The Furu Matsuri festival is the main festival of Isonokami Jingu shrine, one of the oldest shrines in Japan. Going back nearly 1,000 years, this festival is a time we can feel just how rich Tenri City is with history and tradition, and why we are Time Travel City.
Map
Information
| Course： |
Yamanobe-no-Michi (South) Course
Tenri Station Area Course |
|---|---|
| Address： | 384 Furu Town, Tenri City, Nara Prefecture |
| Admission： | Free |
| Parking： | Yes |
| Rest Area： | Yes |
| Toilet： | Yes |
| Contact： | |
| Website： | Isonokami Jingu Shrine Homepage |
| Social Media： |
|
Photo Gallery
