The Sannō Matsuri of the Hie Shrine was one of the two tenka matsuri of Edo — festivals whose processions were permitted inside the castle grounds for the shogun to view. The modern Jinkōsai procession takes a 300-strong column of court costume, ox carts and mikoshi through Akasaka, Ginza and Nihonbashi over nine hours.
No attendance figure is collected in this pass.
The cycle is the planning fact. The grand procession alternates with the Kanda Matsuri: Sannō in even years, Kanda in odd ones, a division that dates from the Edo period when the city could not absorb both. In its off year the shrine holds the festival without the procession, which is a different experience and is listed identically almost everywhere.
PlanningThe grand procession is biennial, in EVEN years; in odd years the festival is held without it.
Dates
Season
Computed from the recurrence rule we record for this entry, not copied from a listing. A date marked ~ comes from a calendar conversion and the observance may fall a day or two either side.