Home > SHIGA 滋賀県 > Moriyama 守山市

Katsube Shrine Fire Festival 勝部神社火まつり


kf172-20130112-1091.jpg

Katsube Shrine near JR Moriyama Station holds an impressive fire festival on the second Sat. of January. They light giant torches for the festival's climax. According to one legend, 800 years ago during the Kamakura Period, Emperor Tsuchimikado (土御門天皇) fell ill and a fortune-teller said that a monster dragon-serpent (orochi) living in a marsh in present-day Moriyama was to blame. When the dragon was finally slain and burned by hunters sent by the Emperor, the body fell on Katsube Shrine and the head fell on Sumiyoshi Shrine. The young men danced wildly around the burning dragon and the Emperor recovered. That's how the festival supposedly started. Unfortunately, you cannot see the festival at both shrines since they are held around the same time. Katsube Shrine's fire festival is bigger with more torches, twelve of them. Also see my video at YouTube. More about Moriyama here. MAP

95 files, last one added on Jan 21, 2013
Album viewed 5238 times

Sumiyoshi Shrine Fire Festival 住吉神社火まつり


034-IMG_1907.jpg

Every Jan., both this shrine and Katsube Shrine light giant torches for the festival's climax. Unfortunately, you cannot see the festival at both shrines since they are held around the same time. Sumiyoshi Shrine's fire festival is smaller with fewer (six) torches which represent the head of the slain dragon. MAP

38 files, last one added on Jan 15, 2007
Album viewed 284 times

Sushikiri Matsuri Festival すし切りまつり


su043-20090505_7812.jpg

Held every May 5 at Shimoniikawa Shrine, an unusual festival with two young lads cutting funa-zushi fermented fish (crucian carp native to Lake Biwa) as an offering. The festival prays for abundant harvests and good health. The naginata dance has been inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022 as one of Japan's furyu-odori (風流踊) ritual dances. These photos were taken on May 5, 2009. Also see my YouTube video here. MAP

54 files, last one added on May 14, 2009
Album viewed 391 times

Naginata Odori Festival 長刀踊り まつり


na049-20090505_7680.jpg

Held annually on May 5 by Ozu Jinja Shrine, the festival consists of dances and music by children, taiko drumming, a naginata dance and acrobatics by boys using a pole sword, and a roundtrip procession from Ozu Shrine to Ozu Wakamiya Shrine. Also see my YouTube video here. MAP

61 files, last one added on May 15, 2009
Album viewed 372 times

Moriyama-juku 守山宿


mo100-68_Moriyama.jpg

Established in 1642, Moriyama-juku was the sixty-seventh of the sixty-nine stations or shukuba post towns on the Nakasendo Road. It is the eighth Nakasendo station in Shiga (following Musa-juku in Omi-Hachiman), and one of ten Nakasendo stations in Shiga. There is very little left. Near JR Moriyama Station on the JR Tokaido/Biwako Line. MAP

16 files, last one added on Apr 24, 2011
Album viewed 415 times

Other Sights


mo104-IMG_1822.jpg

Pictures of other sights in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture including Nagisa Park full of nanohana rapeseed blossoms, Biwako Ohashi Bridge, and Pieri Moriyama shopping mall.

36 files, last one added on Apr 15, 2014
Album viewed 337 times

6 albums on 1 page(s)