🔥 Hatagaoka Rengō Mikoshi Procession – A Festival of Shared Ground
The Hatagaoka Rengō Mikoshi Togyō (旗岡連合神輿渡御) is a large-scale neighbourhood procession held in the Hatanodai and Nakanobu area, usually in early September. It brings together multiple local chōkai to carry their mikoshi through shared streets, emphasising coordination over spectacle.
Rather than belonging to a single shrine parish, the event operates as a joint undertaking. Each participating neighbourhood prepares its own mikoshi, but timing, route, and rest points are managed collectively. The result is less a shrine-centred parade than a moving demonstration of local cooperation.
🏮 The Hatagaoka Rengo Mikoshi Procession Route
Coordinated by 旗岡連合神輿渡御実行委員会 (Hatagaoka Rengō Mikoshi Togyo Executive Committee). On festival Sunday, mikoshi teams from the following eight chōkai (町会) set out on a 3-hour procession through the the area:
- 荏原町一丁目町会 (Ebaramachi 1-chōme)
- 荏原町二丁目町会 (Ebaramachi 2-chōme)
- 荏原町三丁目町会 (Ebaramachi 3-chōme)
- 中延一丁目町会 (Nakanobu 1-chōme)
- 中延二丁目町会 (Nakanobu 2-chōme)
- 中延三丁目町会 (Nakanobu 3-chōme)
- 旗の台一丁目町会 (Hatanodai 1-chōme)
- 旗の台三丁目町会 (Hatanodai 3-chōme)
Each team brings their own decorated mikoshi. Residents take turns bearing the shrines, supported by chants, drums, and whistles. It’s a vibrant spectacle of movement, color, and local pride.
🎌 A Shrine at the Center
At the heart of the event is Hatagaoka Hachiman Shrine, the guardian shrine of the area. The festival weekend also includes ceremonies, stalls, performances, and taiko drumming. The shrine and local organizers plan and host the event with support from each neighborhood’s chōkai.
It’s not just a religious ritual – it’s a community affirmation. Generations gather to walk, cheer, carry, and remember the bonds that hold this part of Shinagawa together.
👘 Mikoshi Parade Clothing
Festival participants wear traditional attire designed for both unity and comfort. The main items are:
- Happi / Hanten (法被 / 半纏): Short, lightweight coats, usually decorated with the festival or neighborhood crest (紋, mon) on the back. For festivals, hanten and happi are nearly identical. The 2023 parade poster (see below) requests participants to wear their neighborhood-designated hanten.
- Hachimaki (鉢巻): A headband worn to absorb sweat and symbolize festival spirit and unity.
- Tabi (足袋): White split-toed socks. For outdoor use, participants may wear jika-tabi (tabi with rubber soles).
- Momohiki / Festival Trousers (股引 / 祭りズボン): Durable, fitted shorts or trousers, usually navy or white, for easy movement.
- Obi (帯): A sash used to tie the hanten or happi securely.
- Undershirt or Tank-top (肌着): For comfort underneath the jacket.
- Optional: Fundoshi (褌): Traditional loincloth, sometimes worn for historical authenticity, especially in summer.
Children can also participate in the parade by borrowing festival jackets (hanten) provided by the organizers, as noted in parade schedules and announcements.
🧭 Visitor Information
Address: 3-6-2 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Best season: Early September (festival is held every two years)
Admission: Free to view
Official Info: Hataoka Hachiman Shrine
Note: Expect loud crowds, energetic mikoshi bearers, and temporary street closures around Nakanobu and Hatanodai.
📍 Where is it?
| what3words | ///public.tougher.bicker |
| latitude longitude | 35.604594 ,139.701186 |
| Nearest station(s) | Hatanodai Station (Oimachi and Ikegami Lines) Ebaramachi Station (Oimachi Line) |
| Nearest public conveniences | Station and local konbini |
🪧 Show me a sign
It’s on the side of Sangen Dori outside “Famille Hatanodai”, a Shinagawa Ward public housing facility (区民住宅) located in Hatanodai.
🖋️ Withervee Says…
This is one of those events that is easier to witness than to pin down. Official summaries often describe the procession as biennial, yet posters and route maps show that recent full-scale parades have taken place in odd-numbered years. Participation also appears to vary. Some years fewer than the canonical eight neighbourhoods actually carry a mikoshi.
I likely encountered it in passing years ago on Nakanobu Skip Road, although at the time it was hard to tell whether it was the full rengō procession or a smaller neighbourhood event. That ambiguity seems built into the festival itself. It expands, contracts, and adapts according to local capacity rather than a fixed calendar.
What matters is not precision but presence. When it happens at full scale, the streets briefly belong to the carriers, the drums, and the shouted timing calls. When it does not, traces remain. Posters appear. Routes are discussed. The possibility of the procession still structures the neighbourhood year.
| Time | Event / Action | Location (English) | Location (Japanese) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 PM | Assemble | In front of Hatanodai Minami Neighborhood Inari Shrine | 旗の台南町会稲荷神社前 |
| 3:20 PM | Departure | From Hatanodai Minami Neighborhood Inari Shrine | 旗の台南町会稲荷神社前 |
| 4:00 PM | Rest & Departure | From Hatanodai 5-chome Rest Area | 旗の台5丁目休憩所 |
| 4:50 PM | Departure | From Ebaramachi Station Front Intersection | 荏原町駅前十字路 |
| 5:30 PM | Rest & Departure | From Hatanodai 3-chome Rest Area | 旗の台3丁目休憩所 |
| 6:10 PM | Handover Ceremony | At the Duty Neighborhood Association | 当番町会 |
| 6:20 PM | Disband | Mikoshi Teams Return Home | 参加神輿帰路 |
I’ll try and get further information and update as necessary. Posters will appear in the neighbourhood advertising it.
🌳 Site (Event) Character
- Lifestyle 生活 (Seikatsu): ✔️
- Historical Significance 歴史 (Rekishi): ✔️
- Atmosphere/Natural Features 風土 (Fūdo): ✔️
👥 Who in their right mind would vote for this?
- Shinto devotees
- Festival-goers
- Local residents
- Photographers
- Culture lovers
📚 Further reading
🚶 While you’re there…
To get away from the clamour in Hatanodai: have a look at Kanariya slope or Hatanodai Fushimi Inari Shrine while you’re in the neighborhood.
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