Origin and History of the Sendai Tanabata Matsuri

Sendai Tanabata Matsuri is a traditional summer festival that has continued since the Edo period. It is said that the festival originated from a prayer for a good harvest made during the reign of Date Masamune (1567-1636), the founder of the Sendai domain, to avoid cold weather, and gradually spread among the people.
During its long history, the festival almost fell into decline due to the Meiji Restoration and the depression caused by the war, but in 1927, volunteers from local merchant families revived the festival in the hope of economic recovery. Later, when the entire city was burnt to the ground during World War II, it was quickly restarted with 52 Tanabata decorations in 1946, just after the end of the war. The city has continued to be decorated with the wishes of its citizens, and today it is considered one of the three major festivals in the Tohoku region.

What kind of festival is the Sendai Tanabata Festival?

The festival is held for three days from August 6 to 8 every year. During the festival, many Tanabata decorations are displayed throughout Sendai. Sendai's Tanabata decorations are famous for their large scale and gorgeous decorations hung on bamboos, and usually attract more than 2 million visitors from all over Japan.
The main venues are the arcaded shopping streets in the center of the city, such as Chuo-dori and Ichibancho-dori, which are a 5-15 minute walk from JR Sendai Station. These venues are lined with countless Tanabata decorations, some as long as 10 meters, making for a spectacular sight.

Each store in the shopping arcade has carefully designed a theme and created their own Tanabata decorations. The contents of the decorations are not revealed to the public until the day of the festival, and the decorations are put up around 8:00 a.m. on August 6, just before the festival begins.
Once completed, each of the shopping districts to which they belong will be judged based on the quality of the design and the precision of the workmanship. Then, in the afternoon of the same day, gold, silver, and bronze awards are announced, and a total of 36 award-winning works are selected. A plaque will be attached to the root of the honored work as a proof.

The highlight of the festival is the spectacularly decorated "blow torch".

The "blown streamers" are synonymous with Sendai Tanabata decorations. It is decorated in the shape of a weaving thread hanging down from the weaver Orihime, who was a master weaver, in the hope that it will improve her handicrafts and weaving. It is said that a Sendai merchant invented the style with a kusudama ball attached to the head.
Each store spends several months to create a set of five blow torches. It is customary to decorate a set of five blow torches, and the production cost of each Tanabata decoration is said to range from several hundred thousand to several million yen. No two decorations are the same, and the sight of the gorgeous decorations fluttering in the wind is breathtakingly beautiful. A stroll through the interstices of the decorations is indescribably elegant. The coloring of the washi paper and the exquisite craftsmanship that goes into every detail are also a sight to behold, and a closer look reveals a different side of the paper.

Sendai Tanabata's unique style of "seven decorations" is also a highlight of the festival.

The "seven decorations" are an indispensable part of the Sendai Tanabata decorations. The blowing stream is one of them, and there are also "origami cranes," "kinchaku," "kamigoromo," "tanzaku," "tanzaku," "tasenoko," and "kuzu baskets. Each of these items has a different wish or meaning, such as "long life" for the origami crane and "prosperity" for the kinchaku. The traditional style of Sendai Tanabata decoration is to display all seven types of Tanabata decorations.

Types and meanings of Tanabata decorations
⚫︎ blowing streamers: Improvement in handicrafts and weaving
⚫︎ Origami cranes: for family safety, prolonging one's life, health and longevity
⚫︎ Paper garments: Prayers for good health, improvement in sewing, and children's health and growth
⚫︎Tanzaku: improvement in studies and calligraphy
⚫︎Scrap baskets: cleanliness, thrift
⚫︎ casting nets: good catch, good harvest, good luck
⚫︎ Kinchaku: prosperous business, wealth

When looking at the large blow torches in the main hall, it is easy to be satisfied with just looking at the overall atmosphere. However, sometimes folded paper cranes and other objects are incorporated as part of the delicate design. The seven decorations are also hung at the base of the bamboos and at the tips where bamboo leaves grow, so be sure to look carefully into every corner to find each and every decoration.

Don't miss the fireworks display on the eve of the festival, and a variety of food stalls

On August 5, the "Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival" will be held on the eve of the festival in the area around Sendai Nishi Park. A variety of fireworks will be launched, and a total of about 16,000 fireworks will light up the night sky in a spectacular display.
There will be 4 viewing areas with seats and tables for a fee and 6 free viewing areas where reservations are not required, and food and drink stalls will be open from around 3:00 p.m., making it a perfect place to relax and enjoy the midsummer sunset.

▼56th Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival
URL: https: //sendai-tanabatahanabi.com
Date: 19:15 - 20:30, August 5 (Mon), 2025 *Same day every year regardless of the day of the week, rain or shine
Venue: Around Nishi Park (former Sakuragaoka Park, outside 1-3 Sakuragaoka Park, Aoba-ku, Sendai City)
Admission: 4,500 yen and up per chair for paid spectator seating
TEL: 022-222-9788 (Sendai Junior Chamber of Commerce)

Traffic regulations (Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival)
Traffic regulations will be enforced during the festival.
Click here for details.