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Uwajima Ushioni Festival

— Uwajima's summer festival of ox-demon floats

cultureOff the trail — and worth it

Every July, ushioni — floats with a demon's face, a long neck and an ox's body — parade through Uwajima. The festival overlaps with Warei Shrine's grand festival, which ends as portable shrines charge through a torchlit river.

FromUwajima Station (JR Yosan Line)
Walkable from the stationOn foot from JR Uwajima Station
Uwajima Ushioni Festival

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is one of Shikoku's leading summer festivals, so it is no secret. What first-timers miss is that it has two centres. By day the stars are the ushioni on the town's shopping street. By night it is the hashirikomi on the Sukagawa, the river in front of Warei Shrine. To see both, plan to walk on either side of the station.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Warei Shrine great toriiReggaeman / CC BY-SA 3.0

Kisaiya Roadthe central shopping street, south of the station, along which the ushioni parade passes
Warei Shrine great toriia stone gate over 12 metres tall, said to be the largest stone torii in Japan
Sukagawa river and Shinko-bashithe river and arched bridge in front of the shrine, the stage for the hashirikomi
Warei Shrine hallthe shrine to Yanbe Seibei, at the heart of the Warei grand festival

How to actually get there

Uwajima Station → north on foot to Warei Shrine's great torii (about 500 m in a straight line).
Great torii → cross the Sukagawa by the Shinko-bashi bridge to the shrine hall.
On parade day, head back south past the station to Kisaiya Road for the ushioni.
On the night of the 24th, return to the banks of the Sukagawa for the hashirikomi.

On foot from Uwajima Station: Warei Shrine lies north of Uwajima Station, about 500 m away in a straight line. Kisaiya Road, where the ushioni parade passes, lies on the other side, south of the station. Both are within walking distance.
Back to the station: Walk back the same way. When the hashirikomi ends the crowd leaves all at once, so allow extra time. If you are leaving town by train, check the last departure before the evening begins.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

An ushioni is a festival float built on an ox-shaped bamboo frame, with a long neck and a demon-like face. Its body is about 5 to 6 metres long, draped in red cloth or palm fibre, and it ends in a sword-like tail. Teams of young men carry it through the streets, and its role is to drive away evil. Children's ushioni parade as well. The festival is held alongside the grand festival of Warei Shrine, which honours a samurai of the old Uwajima domain. Over the three days, Gaiya Carnival dancing, the traditional Uwajima Odori and fireworks over Uwajima Bay fill out the programme.

How to enjoy it

The festival runs from 22 to 24 July; in 2026 the ushioni parade took Kisaiya Road on the 24th. Stay into the night of the 24th. The portable shrines return from their crossing by sea and charge up the Sukagawa, and young men climb the sacred bamboo to seize the paper offering tied at its top. Outside festival days, the shrine and its torii are open to visit on any day.

Background & history

Warei Shrine honours Yanbe Seibei Kimiyori, a senior retainer of the Uwajima domain. He was killed in 1620, and in 1653 he was formally enshrined as a deity. The shrine buildings burned in the 1945 air raid on Uwajima and were later rebuilt. Stories of the ushioni's origin vary. One traces its shape to armoured carts said to have been built for the warlord Kato Kiyomasa during the invasions of Korea. The Ushioni Festival held its 60th edition in 2026.

Before you go

Cash: The parades and the hashirikomi are watched from public streets and riverbanks, and visiting Warei Shrine is free. In 2026, paid seats were sold for the fireworks over the bay.
Good to know: The dates follow the calendar rather than moving to a weekend (in 2026 they ran Wednesday to Friday). Traffic is restricted in the town centre during the festival.
Another way: By car, the nearest expressway exit is Uwajima-Asahi IC. During the festival the organisers run free car parks with shuttle buses, which spare you driving into the restricted centre.
After you get off: From the station, walk north to the great stone torii, then cross the Sukagawa on the arched Shinko-bashi bridge to reach the shrine hall.