Floats spun on their wheels, to drums said to echo a Sengoku-era war beat.
In mid-July 2026, the Kurosaki district of Kitakyushu holds the Kurosaki Gion Yamakasa, a festival roughly four centuries old. Its floats are known for being wheeled and spun through the streets – vigorous enough that the festival has long been nicknamed the “fighting yamakasa.”
The Festival
The festival is held by parishioners of the Kasuga, Okada and Ichinomiya shrines. It is recorded as a Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the national government and designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Fukuoka Prefecture. Its Gion music is distinctive – large and small drums, a gong, and a conch-shell horn, in a rhythm said to draw on a Sengoku-period war drum.
How to Attend
Free to watch from the roadside. The highlights are the float competition early in the run and the closing finale; on the middle days the floats process through the district.
- Dates: Sunday, July 12 and Friday, July 17 – Monday, July 20, 2026 (times vary by day; see official site)
- Venue: Kurosaki district, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu (around JR Kurosaki Station)
- Admission: Free to watch
- Enquiries: Kurosaki Gion Yamakasa Preservation Association 093-642-5151
- Official Info: kurosakigion.com (Japanese) / Kitakyushu City site
Cultural status: Nationally Selected, and Fukuoka Prefecture-designated, Intangible Folk Cultural Property
Planning Your Visit
Kurosaki is on the JR line in Yahatanishi, within Kitakyushu – about 15 minutes from Hakata by Shinkansen to Kokura, then a short hop. The festival sits alongside Kokura Gion Taiko and Tobata’s lantern floats as the three big July festivals of Kitakyushu, so a mid-July visit can take in more than one.
Source: Kurosaki Gion Yamakasa Preservation Association | kurosakigion.com