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- Nishio Gion Festival (Nishio Gion Matsuri)
Nishio-City Nishio Gion Festival
(Nishio Gion Matsuri)
Date : 07/12/2024, 07/13/2024, 07/14/2024
A collaboration between the Gion Festival and communal so-odori dance!
Ibun Jinja Shrine is an ancient shrine allegedly transferred to Nishio from its original location of Ikawazu, in Atsumi-gun, by Prince Hachijo Toshihito during the Montoku period (850-858 C.E.), and has garnered devotees for housing the local guardian deity. During the Nishio Gion Festival, held annually in mid-July, a portable shrine transfers the god in a procession from Ibun Jinja Shrine to Mitsurugi Hachimangu Shrine—located inside the area where the original Nishio Castle was built. It is believed that all the faithful who pass under the portable shrine gain protection against illnesses.
The festival is held simultaneously with the City of Nishio's Odorotcha-Nishio communal dance, held in the downtown area.