Sagicho Matsuri
左義長まつり35°08′ N 136°05′ EFestivalMar 14, 2026
Omi-Hachiman's Sagicho festival suits anyone in Shiga in mid-March who wants to see a fire festival up close, though the old town fills up and parking runs out.
Dates and hours
- March 14, 2026 to March 15, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 11, 2026
Sagicho marks the arrival of spring in Omi-Hachiman. The story goes that it began in the castle town of Azuchi, and that Oda Nobunaga himself danced in it in flamboyant dress. Young men carry floats called sagicho, about 3 m tall, through the old town, and at the end they set them alight at Himure Hachimangu as a prayer against fire and bad luck.
At the heart of each float sits the dashi, a figure of the year's zodiac animal. Each neighbourhood designs its own and builds it from food: beans, kelp, dried squid and katsuobushi. The work takes two to three months. In 2026 the festival ran on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March.
Worth knowing
- Use the free shuttle bus from the temporary car park at Omi-Hachiman city hall, which runs about every 15 minutes during the festival.
- From JR Omi-Hachiman Station, the Chomeiji-bound Ohmi Railway bus takes about five minutes to the Obata-cho Shiryokan-mae stop.
Quick answers about Sagicho Matsuriよくある質問
When is the Sagicho festival in Omi-Hachiman?
On a weekend in mid-March. In 2026 it ran on 14 and 15 March at Himure Hachimangu.