Tenjin Matsuri: Osaka’s Famous Festival

A Venerable Festival in Osaka

The Tenjin Matsuri has been held for some 1,000 years, to pray for Osaka’s growth and prosperity, and to protect the city and its inhabitants from evil. It is centered on Tenmangū, a shrine dedicated to the scholar and statesman Sugawara no Michizane, and held on July 24 and 25 each year.

Portable shrines are mounted on boats, while others are paraded through the streets of central Osaka. A flotilla of some 100 boats with portable shrines, enshrining various divine spirits, ply the city’s Ōkawa River. Special ceremonies are held on the boats, and fireworks are also launched for the gods.

The Tenjin Matsuri is considered to be one of Japan’s top three festivals.

Spectacles of Pageantry, Worship, and Vengeful Spirits

Japan’s love of defining the “three greatest” in each category extends, of course, to its festivals.

(Originally written in English. Banner photo: Floating shrines in the Tenjin Festival. © Pixta)