Fushimi Inari Taisha hosts Hitaki-sai on 8 November
Published on 11/07/2026 at 17:32 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSFire rite and shrine traditions
- Hitaki-sai takes place at Fushimi Inari Taisha on 8 November 2026 under the shrine’s programme.
- The ceremony follows the autumn harvest and includes the burning of more than 100,000 wooden tablets.
- Mikagura has been performed by shrine staff since its revival in 1863.
- Fushimi Inari Taisha stands in southern Kyoto City at 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchi-cho.
Fushimi Inari Taisha hosts the Hitaki-sai fire festival in Kyoto on 8 November 2026, with a harvest thanksgiving followed by an evening performance. The shrine’s official programme lists the ceremony from 1pm and Mikagura from 6pm, giving visitors two distinct parts of the same autumn ritual.
Hitaki-sai brings a November fire rite to Kyoto
Hitaki-sai follows the autumn harvest and gives thanks to Inari Okami for the grain harvest and the blessing of life. The ceremony begins in the main shrine building before moving to the shrine’s ritual fire site, where more than 100,000 wooden tablets offered by worshippers are burned.
The head priest, other priests and attendees recite prayers during the fire rite. The programme makes the event more than a scheduled festival date: it links the agricultural cycle to a public ceremony within one of Kyoto’s major Shinto shrine complexes. The shrine lists Hitaki-sai at 1pm on 8 November 2026 in its official festival programme.
Mikagura connects the fire festival with 1863
The same programme places Mikagura at 6pm on 8 November 2026. This singing and dancing performance for the deity is held in the light of the ritual fire and is performed by shrine staff.
The performance is rooted in an older court tradition and was revived in 1863 after a period when it had not been held. Songs are accompanied by traditional Japanese instruments, while the programme names an ancient dance called ninjomai and the song Hayakarakami. The connection between the November fire and the evening performance is therefore visible in the schedule itself, rather than being a separate city event.
A harvest ceremony in Fushimi’s shrine district
Fushimi Inari Taisha is in Fushimi, in the southern part of Kyoto City. The wider area lies on the historic route between Kyoto and Osaka and is also known for its water and sake breweries. Kyoto’s tourism organisation places the shrine among Fushimi’s temples and shrines and identifies the area as the location of the famous vermilion gate paths.
The shrine’s address is 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchi-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto City 612-0882. Its November programme also lists Shinjo-sai on 23 November 2026, when rice harvested in the shrine’s October rice ritual is offered to Inari Okami. That later ceremony shows how the 8 November fire rite sits within a longer sequence of harvest-related observances at the site. The area and shrine are documented by Kyoto’s tourism organisation.
Visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Date and venue: Hitaki-sai takes place on 8 November 2026 at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, beginning at 1pm according to the shrine’s programme.
- Access during the programme: the fire rite follows a ceremony in the main shrine building and continues at the shrine’s ritual fire site; Mikagura is scheduled for 6pm in front of the main shrine building.
- Location: the shrine lists 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchi-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto City 612-0882 as its address.
- What the event contains: more than 100,000 wooden tablets are burned during the fire rite, followed by singing, music and dance for the deity.
- Related date: Shinjo-sai is listed for 23 November 2026 and concerns rice harvested in the shrine’s October ceremony.
- Language and currency: Japan’s official language is Japanese and its national currency is the yen.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Fushimi Inari Taisha
When does Hitaki-sai take place at Fushimi Inari Taisha?
Hitaki-sai takes place on 8 November 2026, with the fire festival scheduled from 1pm. Mikagura follows at 6pm.
What is Hitaki-sai at Fushimi Inari Taisha?
It is an autumn harvest thanksgiving that includes the burning of more than 100,000 wooden tablets at the shrine’s ritual fire site.
Where is Fushimi Inari Taisha and how do you get there?
The shrine is in Fushimi, southern Kyoto City, at 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchi-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto City 612-0882.
