Hirado Kunchi

Hirado Kunchi, a typical autumn festival in Hirado, is located in Hirado Castle on a hill overlooking the Hirado Straits and the Kyushu mainland on the opposite shore, and is an annual autumn festival of Kameoka Shrine, which enshrines the ancestral spirits of the Matsuura family, the successive lords of Hirado.

The festival is held over four days from October 24-27 each year, with a "Hono dance" on the 25th, featuring traditional performing arts from each town, such as the "Ja Odori (dragon dance)” from Tsukiji Town and the "Shishimai (lion dance)" from Miyanomachi, followed by a parade called “Shinkosai” with portable shrines, samurai in armor and priests on horses through the city center, bringing the entire town to life. The highlight of the festival is the "Daidai Kagura" on the 26th. The "Hirado Kagura," designated as a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset, is dedicated in the precincts of the shrine, and on this day only, all 24 dances are performed over a period of more than seven hours. Among them, the dynamic kagura in which two priests carry each other on their backs and the kagura using a serious sword are a must-see.

On Saturdays and Sundays immediately preceding the "Hirado kunchi", the shopping district in the city center will be turned into a pedestrian paradise, and a gourmet event called the "Hirado kunchi Jyoka Tsuno-de Festival" will be held with the participation of restaurants and other stores in the city.