TOPIC OF THE WEEK APRIL 25. 2025~

Kachiya Sai Festival

Kachiyasai is an annual festival held at Kameido Katori Shrine in Kameido, Koto-ku, Tokyo, on May 5. About 1,000 years ago, Taira no Masakado rebelled against the Imperial Court. Fujiwara Hidesato, who was ordered to take over the rebellion, went to Katori Shrine to pray for victory in the war. The festival is said to have its origin in the “Tengyo no Ran” (940) in the Kanto region and the Seto Inland Sea, when Fujiwara Hidesato, who defeated Taira no Masakado and pacified the rebellion, dedicated a bow and arrow as an offering of thanks to the gods. Since then, the bow and arrow have been named “Kachiya” (victory arrow), and the shrine has been revered as a shrine dedicated to the “god of war”. The ritual is said to have continued for more than 1,000 years, and since 1983, the shrine has also held a Samurai (warrior) procession that recreates the visit of Fujiwara no Hidesato. The procession of Samurai (warriors) appears on the shrine grounds, and people dressed in armor, jinbaori (a type of armor surcoat worn by samurai), kamishimo (a traditional Japanese formal outfit, primarily worn by samurai and court men during the Edo period), and other costumes start from Kameide Shrine in 3-chome, Oshima, Koto-ku, and parade to Katori Shrine in Kameido. A ceremony is then held and people gather to pray for victory. Together with the “Fuji (Wisteria) Festival” at Kameido Tenjinsha Shrine (Kameido 3), this festival is an early summer tradition in Kameido that attracts about 100,000 visitors each year. Today, the Kameido Katori Shrine is known as a shrine where athletes and related people visit to pray for victory, and many people can be seen praying at the shrine on May 5, the day of the Kachiyasai festival. At the end of the warrior procession, after arriving at the shrine, the “Kachiya Dedication Ceremony” is held, in which the general receives an arrow from his retainer and hands it to the chief priest of the shrine. This is a symbolic scene of this ritual, you cannot miss!

Kachiya Sai Festival

Date: May 5th (Mon), 2025
@ Kameido Katori Shrine

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