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Kanda Matsuri or the Kanda Festival is one of the three great Shinto festivals of Tokyo, along with the Fukagawa Matsuri and Sanno Matsuri. 


The festival started in the early 17th century as a celebration of Tokugawa Ieyasu's decisive victory at the battle of Sekigahara and was continued as a display of the prosperity of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period.


At the time, the festival was important enough to be named a state festival.
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Kanda Matsuri

Its highly decorated Mikoshi "Portable Shrines" were paraded down the main streets and into Edo castle so that even the Shogun could observe the celebrations.

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The current form of the festival is also held in honor of the kami of the Kanda Myojin and to be a celebration for the wealth and good fortune of the people.

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The Kanda Festival consists of numerous events held over an entire week, but the main actions happen on the Saturday and Sunday closest to May 15, but since it alternates with the Sanno Matsuri, it is only held on odd numbered years.


On these years, the festival takes place at the Kanda Shrine in Kanda area, as well as surrounding central Tokyo districts. 

Kanda Matsuri holds a long procession of almost 12 hours on the Saturday of the event. The procession leaves Kanda Shrine at 8:00 in the morning.
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Kanda Matsuri - Mikoshi

It follows a winding route from Kanda Shrine to Tokyo Imperial Palace to the banks of the Sumida River, Akihabara and back to Kanda Shrine.


The Mikoshi event on Sunday also stretches across a wide area as neighborhoods in the Kanda area take their local deities "Ujigami" for a walk through the streets in Mikoshi to bless the local residents. Mikoshi are paraded through local neighborhoods and then to Kanda Shrine.

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Its prominent parades involve about over 200 Mikoshi, Shinto priests on horseback, participants in Edo-era costumes, musicians and dancers.
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Kanda Matsuri

The best place to see both events is at Kanda Shrine when the procession returns around 19:00 in the evening.


In addition to the main events, the Kanda Festival also includes an excellent Taiko drum performance, traditional music groups, and a variety of festival food stands. 

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The Kanda Matsuri of Tokyo is ranked as one of Japan’s top three festivals, along with Gion Matsuri of Kyoto and Tenjin Matsuri of Osaka.
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Kanda Matsuri

The Sanno Matsuri, another of the Great Shinto Festivals of Tokyo, is held in mid-June on even numbered years, while the third member of that group, the Fukagawa Matsuri, is held annually in mid-August by the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in Koto Ward Tokyo.


The Sanno Festival also extends over a week and has a few events, but most of them are rather small.


​It winds for an incredible 25 kilometers through the streets of central Tokyo over the course of nine hours on one of the festival days.
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Sanno Matsuri - Hie Shrine

The parade makes several stops along the way including Imperial Palace Gaien "a large park in front of the Imperial Palace".


The head priest of Hie Shrine enters the palace and meets the Emperor to offer prayers to the emperor and imperial family.


The parade begins and ends at Hie Shrine, the shrine responsible for holding the festival.
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Hie Shrine

Access

​Kanda Myojin Shrine is about 5 minutes' walk from Ochanomizu Station on the JR Chuo Line, Tokyo Metro Marunoucni Line and Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line.

​The closest Stations to Hie Shrine is Tameike-Sanno Station on Ginza Line and Namboku Line  that is about 5 minutes’ walk from the Shrine. Tomioka Hachiman Shrine is about 6 minutes’ walk from Monzen-Nakacho Station on the Tozai and Oedo Lines.
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Fukagawa Matsuri

Kanda Myojin Shrine - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo