What’s New
The Ofune – Matsuri Festival represents Autumn in Azumino .
Why is there a Ship shaped float in a festival held in the
middle of Japan , far from the sea ?
It marks the passing of “Azumi no Muraji Hirafu no mikoto “,
who died on the 27 th of September over a thousand years ago.
It is believed that he led a group of settlers who arrived on
ships from Kyushu.
These settlers founded Azumino , and it is from him the region
takes its name .
The float will be paraded through the town , to its
final destination – Hotaka shrine .
There male and female ships will ram the heads of their ships
against each other to symbolize and wish for fertility for the
descendants of the settlers.
