Sumiyoshi Festival

Sumiyoshi Festival is held at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine from July 30 to August 1. Along with Aizen-dō Shōman-in’s “Aizen Festival” and Osaka Tenmangū’s “Tenjin Festival,” it is counted as one of Osaka’s three major summer festivals. About 300,000 people visit over the three days. Also called “Oharai,” the festival began as a ritual to purify and cleanse Osaka. On July 30, the Yoimiya (eve festival) is held ahead of the main events, with festival drumming, dragon dances, and many food stalls lining the grounds—reportedly about 300 stalls in total over the three days. On July 31, the Nagoshi no Harae Shinto rite and annual grand festival are performed. During the Nagoshi no Harae rite—designated as a folk cultural property of Osaka Prefecture—children and women in ceremonial dress pass through a large ring of reeds (chinowa) to cleanse away sins and impurities from the first half of the year. On August 1, the highlight is the Mikoshi Togyo procession: a portable shrine weighing about two tons is carried from Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka City to Shukuin Tongu in Sakai City. The most impressive moment is when the carriers wade across the Yamato River—the boundary between the two cities—while bearing the mikoshi.