Horan-enya Memorial Hall

Hall Dedicated to the Horan-Enya Boat Festival

The Horan-Enya Memorial Hall is close by to the Matsue History Museum and is dedicated to Horan-enya, one of Japan's biggest Shinto boat festivals that occurs once every ten years. The informative hall uses videos, posters, and displays to teach the origin and history of Horan-enya, the boats used during the festivals, and the Kaitenma dancing. The festival is a stunning procession of boats guiding a boat carrying the deity from Jozan Inari Shrine to Adakaya Shrine down Ohashi River. The top five floats are dubbed Kaidenma-sen and are given lavish and traditional decorations. The rowers chant while they pull the boats with bright costumes, batons, and oars. While the festival only happens once per ten years, the celebration spans over nine days.

One of Japan's Biggest Boat Festival

The Memorial Hall features various exhibits on Horan-enya in their exhibition room, as well as the Kaitenma Boat Display (image to the right) and the Theater Room. The Kaitenma boat display is a half-size scale-model guests can take photos in. The Theater Room has a large screen playing recordings about the Horan-enya experience and its beginnings as a sacred boat ritual. Admission to the hall is included with ticket purchase to the Matsue History Museum and is a close walk to the Horikawa Sightseeing Boat. We can customize a private Japan tour package to include the Matsue History Museum and Horan-enya memorial for an exciting vacation in the castle town of Matsue!

Horan-enya Memorial Hall | Related Japan Tour Pages