Toyota-City Tenka Festival

Date : 02/08/2025, 02/09/2025

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A festival of half-naked men duking it out

Toyota City's Matsudaira area was home to Chikauji, founder of the Matsudaira clan, from which national hero Tokugawa Ieyasu came. Chikauji is locally famous for his prayer for peace throughout the country, something his ninth-generation decendent Ieyasu would actually achieve when he unified warring Japan.
A well exists at the local Matsudaira Toshogu Shrine, from which water was taken to give Ieyasu his first bath, and during this festival, that very water is used to soak the "Mizutama"—a wooden ball said to carry good fortune due to purification in the water. By touching the Mizutama, it is said that like Chikauji and Ieyasu, your wishes too will be granted.

So, what kind of a festival is it?

Tenka Festival is a lively one, to say the least. Half-naked men wearing nothing but loincloths, headbands, and traditional Japanese footwear battle one another for the chance to touch the Mizutama, cleansing them of any ill fortune.
The festival's setting—Matsudaira Toshogu Shrine—is devoted to Chikauji, the first generation of the Matsudaira clan, and acts as the stage for the festival. The water used in Tokugawa Ieyasu's first bath as a newborn can still be drawn from the shrine's historic Ubuyu no Ido Well, and is used in the festival for its spiritual properties. As the Mizutama is dipped in this sacred water, it is purified and does away with any bad luck and dispels any evil—the reason for participants' desperate attempts to touch the ball even if only for a fleeting moment. Watch as all participants share the single objective of touching the Mizutama as they partake in a battle royale the likes of which you have never seen!

Tenka Festival schedule

Tenka Festival

Sat, Feb 8:
• 3:00 pm Mizutama ritual
• 3:30 pm Great misogi purification reception
• 4:00 pm Safety prayers
• 5:30 pm Great misogi purification

Sun, Feb 9:
• 9:00 am Participant reception (division into red and white teams)
• 9:15 am Hanko event
• 9:45 am Prayer at festival area and hanamochi ornament creation (at Kogetsuin Temple)
• 11:50 am Hanamochi offering for good luck
• 12:30 pm Loincloth preparation
• 2:00 pm Procession
• 2:30 pm Fight to touch Mizutama
• 3:10 pm Mochi throwing

Notes:
• Participation available to any healthy men ages 16 and older.
• Prayers to ward off bad luck to those in the unlucky years of their life by Japanese superstition are also held at Matsudaira Toshogu Shrine. Apply on your own. Held at various times from 9:00 am–3:00 pm.

Other events:
• Matsudaira Wadaiko Japanese taiko drumming performance
• Shakunage Bo no Te choreographed martial arts performance
• Vendors and booths

EVENT OVERVIEW

Date	: Sat, Feb 8–Sun, Feb 9, 2025
Holding time	: • Feb 8: 3:00 pm–6:00 pm • Feb 9: 9:30 am–3:30 pm
Place	: Matsudaira-Go festival area
Location	: 〒444-2202 Matsudaira-cho, Toyota-shi, Aichi Note: • The Access Map shows the location of Matsudaira-Go's Parking Lot No. 1.
Fee	: Free to watch Participation fee: JPY 6,000 (includes loincloth, headband, footwear, and meal) Notes: • Prices are subject to change. Check the official site, etc. for the most up-to-date information.

Parking	: Matsudaira Sports Ground (Yamanota, O'uchi-cho, Toyota-shi, Aichi) Note: • No parking available near the venue. Use the temporary parking above (limited spaces). A shuttle bus is available from the parking lot.
Restrooms	: Available
Phone number	: 080-5151-8944 (Tenka Festival Committee, available 6:00 pm–9:00 pm on weekdays and 9:00 am–5:00 pm on weekends)
Free shuttle bus info	: • Hours: 8:30 am–4:00 pm (arrival and departure at various times between the preceding hours) • Bus stops: 1. Matsudaira Sports Ground temporary parking lot 2. Okutono Jinya Bus Stop in Okazaki City
Notes	: • Follow staff's instructions to ensure a safe festival. • Festival organizers, etc. bear no responsibility regarding accidents (injuries, theft, etc.) during the festival. • Festival organizers have the right to refuse participation to anyone deemed unsuitable to take part in event. • Use the free shuttle bus the day of the festival to get to the venue. • Participation schedule, etc. explained separately after registration.

Note: This page may not be current due to update time differences between site databases.
Should accuracy be critical, please verify this information using a direct source, whenever possible.

LINK

ACCESS

Access by public transport

From Meitetsu Toyotashi Station, take the Toyota Oiden Bus bound for Shimoyama and get off at Matsudaira Go Bus Stop.
Access by car

From the New Tomei Expressway, enter the Tokai-Kanjo Expressway at the Toyota-Higashi Junction and exit at Toyota-Matsudaira Interchange. When exiting, take the leftmost lane to enter Route 301 heading east. After 13.6 km, turn right to enter the Matsudaira Sports Ground in the Yamanota area. Free shuttle bus available from the parking lot.

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ACCESS MAP

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