Utano Autumn Festival: A Procession Between Two Water Shrines
A yearly autumn rite brings a portable shrine, six heavy taiko floats and a costumed procession through the farming communities of Utano.
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Utano Autumn Festival is the annual rite of Uda Mikumari-jinja, a water shrine in the Furuichiba district of Uda. Its central procession connects the shrine with Soshamikumi-jinja upstream in Kamihono, where the enshrined female deity is welcomed to visit the male deity at Uda Mikumari-jinja. The shrines describe the rite's origin through the medieval text Suibun-gu Yuraishu; the exact age of an unbroken present-day procession should not be inferred from that tradition alone. Six district taiko floats, a portable shrine, spear performers and flower baskets create a long community event across a roughly six-kilometre route between the shrines. The 2026 schedule listed Sunday 18 October; that date has passed, but the reviewed sources do not confirm whether the procession was carried out. The annual pattern is the third Sunday of October, but the next programme and traffic plan have not yet been announced.
Follow the link between the two water shrines
The festival joins Uda Mikumari-jinja at Furuichiba with Soshamikumi-jinja at Kamihono. The shrine's account tells of Hayatsuakitsuhime-no-Mikoto travelling to meet Hayatsuakitsuhiko-no-Mikoto once a year. This is the ritual story of the two shrines, not a claim about a historical human procession. The route is commonly described as about six kilometres between the shrines and around twelve kilometres for the return journey; the exact streets and stopping points should be checked in the next year's notice.
Watch the floats and the procession as separate moments
The host shrine's detailed account says six neighbourhood taiko floats gather at the precinct, each weighing roughly two tonnes, with more than a hundred bearers in total. The float display and children's drum performance are followed by a costumed procession with a portable shrine, long spears and flower baskets. A Uda City event notice gives a lower 'over one tonne' description; this guide uses the shrine's more specific approximate figure and avoids promising a precise arrival time, since the shrine says weather and other conditions can change the schedule.
Use the next date only after the organizers confirm it
The shrine says the festival was traditionally held on 21 October, then shifted from 1999 to the third Sunday in October to make attendance easier. Uda's official 2026 listing confirms Sunday 18 October 2026, which has passed. The next edition's exact schedule, procession route, road closures and any audience guidance are not yet published here. Recheck the shrine and Uda tourism pages before travelling; a recurring calendar pattern is not a substitute for the current event notice.
Plan transport around a route-wide event
For ordinary shrine access, buses run from Kintetsu Haibara Station to Furuichiba Mikumari-jinja-mae, followed by a short walk. Festival viewing spans two shrine districts and village streets, so arrival at one shrine does not guarantee a convenient view of the full procession. Bus frequencies are limited and event-day traffic measures may apply. The next year's organizer notice should determine where visitors may stand, whether parking is available and which return services will run. Do not follow the procession into private land or block bearers, residents or emergency access.
Treat this as a sacred community rite
Admission was listed as free and no advance application was required for the 2026 edition; these conditions should be checked again for the next festival. The portable shrine and floats belong to ritual and neighbourhood life, not a staged attraction. Follow directions from shrine staff and local organizers, remain behind any barriers, and ask before close-up photography of participants. The shrine's special paid sacred-fence viewing is separate from public festival observation and may be unavailable during rites.
What to look for
Six neighbourhood taiko floats gather at Uda Mikumari-jinja
Costumed procession links Furuichiba and Kamihono
Usually held on the third Sunday of October; next schedule not yet announced
Photo notes
No MyNara-licensed event images are held. Do not reuse shrine, city or tourism-association photographs without permission. Keep clear of the moving portable shrine and taiko floats, follow steward instructions, and avoid close-up images of children or participants without consent. Do not stand in roadways or private property for a photograph.
SEASONAL CALENDAR
Events connected with Utano Autumn Festival: A Procession Between Two Water Shrines
These records are shared with MyNara’s event calendar, so dates and notices have one source. Recurring patterns are not confirmed dated editions; check the organizer’s latest guidance.
Utano Autumn Festival: Mikumari Shrine Procession
The annual festival carries a mikoshi from Sosha Mikumari Shrine to Uda Mikumari Shrine and back along a roughly 12-kilometre route, accompanied by pole performers, flower baskets and large drum floats. The route and schedule are announced for each edition; procession arrival times can shift with weather. The 2026 notice listed the event as free with no advance application; check next year's terms and current road, bus and viewing notices before following the parade.
Check organizer informationMake a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 28 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.
- Uda Mikumari-jinja — official festival origin, annual date, procession, floats and route detail
- Uda Mikumari-jinja — full 2026 annual calendar and checked 2027 schedule
- Uda Mikumari-jinja — current annual calendar and official contact
- Uda City tourism — 2026 date, sites, free admission and no-application listing
- Nara Prefecture official tourism portal — 2026 past-event record and annual third-Sunday pattern
- Utano Tourism Association — water-shrine history and procession background
- Uda City — annual autumn-festival background and historical local records
- Official Nara Travel Guide — E02086 listing and area identity (updated 28 Nov 2025)
- Uda City — National Treasure main shrine and subsidiary architecture
- Sakurai-Uda Regional Union — 2026 autumn seasonal event calendar