Sanno Matsuri at Hie Shrine (Imperial Palace Shinto Pageant in Central Tokyo)

Schedule: 07 - 17 Juni 2026 (Puncak Pawai Shinkosai Pertengahan Juni) | Location: Tokyo (東京都)

Standing alongside Kanda Matsuri and Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri as one of Japan’s most venerated Shinto pageants historically designated as the "Tenka Matsuri" (Festival of the Shogun), Sanno Matsuri is hosted by prestigious Hie Shrine—the divine spiritual guardian of Edo Castle and the contemporary Tokyo Imperial Palace. It holds unparalleled historical prestige, as its sacred palanquins were the only religious processions granted imperial entry into Edo Castle’s inner keep for private shogun benediction. The spiritual pinnacle is the "Shinkosai" cortege—a 300-meter-long, day-long royal procession of over 500 marchers clad in exquisite Heian-period imperial court silk robes. Escorting two sacred Phoenix Palanquins (Houren) carrying deity Oyamakui-no-Kami, the cortege features armored samurai heralds, mounted priests, and court Gagaku musicians. Crucially, it remains the only procession permitted to march through the Imperial Palace’s Sakashitamon Gate onto the Imperial grounds to deliver prayers for the safety of the Emperor and the nation. Exiting the Imperial grounds, the stately procession winds directly through Tokyo’s most opulent shopping corridors of Ginza, Nihombashi, and the Marunouchi financial hub, forging an ethereal bridge between medieval courtly reverence and ultramodern metropolis. At Hie Shrine in Akasaka, visitors ascend the famous vermilion tunnel of 90 Torii gates to view sacred Kagura dances. Public viewing along Tokyo’s grand avenues is completely free.