Fujisaki Hachimangū (藤崎八旛宮) 藤崎八旛宮
Every September more than sixty decorated horses parade; in 2026 the procession is cancelled.
Founded in 935, it is the guardian shrine of Kumamoto. It writes its own name with 八旛 instead of the usual 八幡, and local tradition explains the name Fujisaki with a wisteria (藤) riding whip planted by imperial envoys, which is said to have sprouted. The autumn festival, the 秋季例大祭, lasts five days and ends on the third Monday of September, which in Japan is 敬老の日, the national holiday for the elderly; the procession is on the fourth day. Its origin is traced back to Katō Kiyomasa, the lord who built Kumamoto Castle, who is said to have led a hundred armed men here (the 随兵, the escort) to give thanks for his return from a military campaign. Under the Hosokawa lords the decorated horses were added: at the time there were twelve, and today there are more than sixty.
Kumamoto
Shin-Suizenji, Suidocho, Suizenji, Fujisakigu-mae
