The Saijo Danjiri Matsuri, held every mid-October, is one of Ehime Prefecture's most spectacular festivals, attracting over half a million visitors. More than 80 ornately decorated danjiri floats—some weighing several tons—are hauled through the city streets by teams of enthusiastic locals in white happi coats. The climactic moment comes in the early hours when floats converge at the Kamo River, where participants wade into the water by torchlight to face the shrine ship. The festival is centred on Iyazumi Shrine and Isono Shrine and is a designated Ehime Prefecture intangible folk cultural property.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Autumn
- Month
- Mid-October
- Region
- Shikoku
- Prefecture
- Ehime
- City
- Saijo
Highlights
- ◆Over 80 carved wooden danjiri floats
- ◆Midnight river-entry ceremony by torchlight
- ◆500,000+ attendees across festival days
- ◆Designated Ehime intangible folk cultural property
- ◆Iyazumi Shrine as spiritual centrepiece