Shiogama Port Festival

The Shiogama Port Festival began in 1948 as a celebration praying for industrial recovery in the aftermath of World War II.
It is a maritime festival in which the portable shrines (mikoshi) of Shiwahiko Shrine and Shiogama Shrine are enshrined aboard the ceremonial vessels Ryuhou-maru and Houou-maru and carried across Matsushima Bay, one of Japan’s Three Most Scenic Views. The magnificent maritime mikoshi procession aboard these splendid vessels is as beautiful as a picture scroll from the Heian period. Recognized as the first maritime mikoshi procession in the Tohoku region, it was selected in 2006 by the Fisheries Agency as one of the “100 Historical and Cultural Assets of Fisheries and Fishing Villages to Be Preserved for the Future,” and in 2014 it received the Prime Minister’s Award at the Hometown Event Grand Prix.
Since 1989, a land parade has been added to the festivities, and Yoshikono Shiogama, a performance incorporating the traditional local folk song Shiogama Jinku, is also presented, adding further color and vibrancy to the festival.
In addition, a grand fireworks display is held on the eve of the festival, heralding the arrival of summer in the Tohoku region.