Ancient Procession Marches On as Part of Niigata Festival in Northern Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:52 JST, August 28, 2025

NIIGATA — A procession with people dressed in old-fashioned costumes paraded through the city center on the second day of the Niigata Festival in Niigata on Aug. 9.

The Sumiyoshi Gyoretsu procession stems from the Sumiyoshi Festival, which started in 1726, and will celebrate its 300th anniversary next year.

Accompanied by the music of drums and flutes, people dressed in costumes of the Heian period (794 to the late 12th century) or disguised as a tengu, a legendary long-nosed creature, paraded through the Furumachi and Bandai districts of Chuo Ward in Niigata.

“It must be hard to pass on traditions, but I was so moved to see the children properly inheriting them,” said a 48-year-old self-employed woman from Yamagata Prefecture.

The Sumiyoshi procession was also held on Aug. 10, the final day of the Niigata Festival.