Matsuri

Matsuri is a Japanese term meaning festival or holiday. In traditional use, it refers to Shinto and local community festivals held at shrines, temples, or neighborhoods to honor kami, celebrate seasons, or mark historical events. Matsuri are typically communal events with processions, music, dance, and ritual offerings. Common elements include mikoshi (portable shrines) carried through the streets, taiko drums, kagura dances, prayers for good fortune, and stalls selling food and goods. Rites may also involve purification, blessings for participants, and prayers for harvest, safety, and prosperity.

Organizing a matsuri is usually a community effort coordinated by neighborhood associations, shrine committees, and local businesses, sometimes with support from local government. They may be annual or tied to a shrine’s calendar, and can attract large crowds of residents and visitors. The atmosphere blends religious ritual with festive entertainment, street decoration, and social gathering.

Notable examples of matsuri include Gion Matsuri in Kyoto, famed for its grand procession and hundreds of floats; Kanda Matsuri and Sanno Matsuri in Tokyo, among the region’s most prominent religious celebrations; Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka, known for a river procession; Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori, recognized for large illuminated floats; and Hakata Gion Yamakasa in Fukuoka, renowned for its races and spectacular street display.

Beyond religious practice, matsuri appear in Japanese culture and tourism as symbols of local identity. The term is also used in modern media and place names to denote festive events.