The Ranks of Japan’s Top Three Festivals
With over 1,000 years of history, the Tenjin Festival at Osaka Tenmangu Shrine in Osaka is one of the three major festivals in Japan. On the first day of the event, there are prayers for safety and prosperity at the shrine, and on the second day, the festivities really kick off with parades and fireworks. With a river procession of 100 boats and a fireworks display, the Tenjin Festival is a celebratory extravaganza.
Every year, the festival’s original kobai (red-blossomed Japanese plum) firework, which opens in the shape of the ume-bachi family crest, is launched in honor of Tenjin-sama, the patron deity of scholarship and learning. There are also many other unique fireworks to be enjoyed throughout the fireworks spectacle.
