Written by Aarohi Narain
The Hassaku Sumo Festival takes place across the country. Unfolding at the grand Ōkunitama Shrine, this local rendition is easily accessible from central Tokyo.
What happens?
The Hassaku Sumo Festival is a community celebration where children take centre stage in friendly sumo bouts. This is observed as a ritual offering for bountiful crops and protection from typhoons.
The festival ties into ancient agricultural customs. Hassaku refers to the first day of the eighth lunar month, which is when the first rice is offered to the gods and farmers take a rare break after the summer season’s hard work.
Suggested Activity
Get Tickets To the Samurai Restaurant in Shinjuku (Up to 30% Off)
Experience one of the craziest, most colorful places in Tokyo — the all-new Samurai Restaurant, from the creators of the Robot Restaurant. Get your tickets and sit back for a wild show of lasers, lights, samurai, dancers and other uniquely Japanese weirdness.
The date also marks the day Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, marched into Edo Castle (present-day Tokyo) back in 1590.
Early
Aug
2026
八朔相撲祭
Free
Official site
⚠️ Link in Japanese
- 278 m from Fuchū-Hommachi Station JR Nambu Line (JN20)Musashino Line (JM35)
- 455 m from Fuchū Station Keiō Line (KO24)
- 0.6 km from Fuchūkeiba-seimommae Station Keiō Keibajō Line (KO46)
Typical weather at this time:
High: 29 ºC
Low: 24 ºC
