Higashifushimi Inari Shrine Hatsuuma-sai (First Day of the Horse) 東伏見稲荷神社　初午祭

Note: The 2024 installment of this event has already taken place.

Inari, the Shinto deity of foxes, was enshrined in Mitsugamine, Kyoto in February, on the first day of the horse, according to the lunar calendar. To commemorate Inari's enshrinement, Higashi Fushimi Inari-jinja Shrine holds the Hatsu-uma Festival, its largest festival of the year.

You can enjoy festival music as the first plum blossoms begin to bud. At the festival, you can also see a kagura performance. This traditional art is an Intangible Cultural Property of Japan. Leading the troupe is Gennosuke Matsumoto, a master of kagura. Seeing an esteemed kagura performance troupe alone is already a good enough reason to visit.