Yunishigawa Onsen Kamakura Festival

April Dykes
2 時間前
読了時間: 5分

A certified Japanese night view heritage and a major event in Tochigi, the Yunishigawa Onsen Kamakura festival is worth adding to your winter itinerary. According to the official tourism website for Nikko city, Yunishigawa Onsen, the location of the Kamakura festival, has a history that spans more than 800 years. With deep ties to the Taira clan, the Heike, this is more than just a village with a popular onsen and a certified event. Today, we will dive into that history as well as the origins of the famous Kamakura festival.

The Taira clan (Heike clan)

The Taira was a powerful samurai clan centered around Heian-kyō, modern-day Kyoto. Taira no Kiyomori was the head of the Taira clan in the 1150s until his death in 1181, and an extremely influential and powerful figure at Court for much of that period” (SamuraiWiki). Their rise to power began during the reign of Emperor Shirakawa and lasted until the reign of Emperor Antoku.

“The Hogen Rebellion of 1156 (the first year of the Hogen era), which sparked the Genpei War, was a political upheaval in which Emperor Sutoku and Emperor Goshirakawa used the military might of the Minamoto and Taira clans in a dispute over the succession to the throne. Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Taira no Kiyomori, who would later fight each other, sided with Emperor Goshirakawa at this point and won” (Tokuen-World).

After this battle, the Taira clan rose even higher in power and rank, and the Minamoto clan felt slighted. As a result, though once allies, the Taira and Minamoto became enemies and faced off in the Heiji Rebellion. “There are various theories about the cause of the Heiji Rebellion, but the conventional view is that the Heiji Rebellion began because Minamoto no Yoshitomo became increasingly dissatisfied with the disparity in rewards given to Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo after the Hogen Rebellion” (Tokuen-World).

The Minamoto clan suffered a major defeat, but Minamoto no Yoritomo, the eldest son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, was exiled instead of executed. Minamoto no Yoritomo would later be a key figure in the downfall of the Taira clan. While the Minamoto worked to rebuild, the Taira continued to rise. They reached their pinnacle of power when Taira no Tokuko, the daughter of Taira no Kiyomori, became the wife of Emperor Takakura. She would later give birth to Emperor Antoku, who was placed on the throne at age two.

Emperor Antoku’s ascension to the throne led to a dispute with Prince Mochihito. As a result, Prince Mochihito connected with the Minamoto clan, and this led to the Genpei War (1180-1185). This war, filled with countless battles, famine, and betrayal, resulted in the downfall of the Taira clan and the death of the young Emperor Antoku.

A new beginning for the Taira

“In 1185, after the defeat of the Genpei War in the Battle of Dannoura, which divided the country into two, Taira Tadafusa (hidden name: Tadazane), the sixth son of Taira Shigemori, the eldest son of Taira Kiyomori, traveled to the Kanto region with his retainers, seeking refuge with his relative, Utsunomiya Tomotsuna. Afterwards, he hid out on Mount Keicho, the highest peak in Kawaji.

At that time, a woman in the family gave birth to a boy, and despite their misfortune, they celebrated and rejoiced by flying a banner made of the remaining cloth into the May sky. However, this caught the eye of the Genji clan, and the family suffered a major defeat, but with serious injuries, they made their way along the valley to Yunishigawa, where they decided to make the place their permanent home. To this day, the custom of not flying carp streamers or raising chickens continues in Yunishigawa Onsen” (Bankyu).

During the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573), Bantsushima no Kami Tadamitsu, an ancestor of the main family Bankitsu and the 11th generation from Lord Taira Tadafusa, stumbled across the very hot springs that his ancestors discovered and the treasures they left behind during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). The hot springs discovered by Bantsushima no Kami Tadamitsu became a blessing that has lasted for hundreds of years. That blessing came in the form of the Yunishigawa Onsen and the inn. “It began to exist as a village called Yunishigawa in the early Edo period (1666), and word of its high-quality hot springs spread to the surrounding area, leading to the founding of the hot springs inn, Bankyu Ryokan (Honke Bankyu)” (Bankyu). The founding of the Yunishigawa onsen also led to the end of an 800-year-old feud between the Taira (Heike) and the Minamoto (Genpei).

“In October 1994, the Yunishigawa Inn Association hosted the "Minamoto no Yoritomo Association" and invited members of the Heike clan from Kamakura to the Akama Shrine sub-shrine in the Heike village. The night before, a pre-celebratory banquet was held at the Heike Kakureyakan, a hideout within the inn. While there was a tense atmosphere at first, the atmosphere gradually warmed as the guests exchanged sake cups, and the next day, a ceremony was held in which the two families joined hands and crossed the Kazurabashi Bridge. Today, the Kazurabashi Bridge has come to symbolize friendship and good relationships, linking those who cross it with happy bonds” (Bankyu).

Yunishigawa Onsen Kamakura Festival

Every year since 1993, Yunishigawa Onsen has been hosting the Kamakura festival, but did you know that it originally had a different name? From 1993 until 2009, it was called Shining Ice Lantern, and Kamakura Festival, but its name changed in 2010 to the “Yunishigawa Onsen Kamakura Festival”. Snow is an unavoidable part of winter, but the Kamakura festival seeks to find joy and beauty in the abundance of Yunishigawa's snow.

“This event can be enjoyed throughout Yunishigawa Onsen, centered around the Heike no Sato tourist facility and the miniature kamakura (snow huts) at the Sawaguchi Riverbed, which was certified as a Japan Night View Heritage Site in 2009. The Sawaguchi Riverbed Miniature Kamakura, certified as a Japan Night View Heritage Site, will be illuminated with candles on hundreds of miniature kamakura on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the festival, creating a magical world.

Miniature kamakura are also lined up at the Heike no Sato venue (fees apply), and at night, candles are lit in the miniature kamakura, warmly lighting up the entire village. Even on days when the Sawaguchi Riverbed venue is closed, you can still enjoy the miniature kamakura here. The Heike Akari bamboo lantern illumination event will also be held at the same time. Enjoy the glittering combination of snow huts and bamboo lanterns. This major winter event takes place throughout the town of Yunishigawa Onsen, including the Yunishigawa Mizunosato Snow Park venue (fees apply), where you can enjoy a large snow slide” (Tochigi Prefecture Tourism and Products Association).

This year’s Kamakura festival will start on January 30th and end on March 1st. At Yunishigawa Onsen, the festival will have 3 main locations filled with different experiences on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. If you intend to visit the Yunishigawa Onsen during the Kamakura festival, be sure to check out the Nikko Official Guide website for all venue, event, and access information. Below is a summary of the venues and times to give you a head start.

■Sawaguchi Riverbed Mini Kamakura Venue

　Event Period: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the event

　Lighting Time: 17:30-21:00

■Heike no Sato

　Event Period: Open every day during the event Opening

　Hours: 9:00-21:00 (Last Entry 20:45)

　Mini Kamakura Light-up: 17:30-21:00　

■Yunishigawa Mizunosato Snow Park

　Event Period: Saturday, January 31st to Sunday, March 1st, 2026 Closed on Wednesdays

　*Open on Wednesday, February 11th (National Holiday), closed on Thursday, February 12th.

Opening Hours: 10:00-15:00 (Last Entry 14:00)

　Hot Spring Usage Hours: 10:00-19:00 (Last Entry 18:00)