The events category of our blog will cover limited-time events in the Shitamachi area of Tokyo. This time, we will pick Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair (the Shoe Festival Market), a semiannual event at Tamahime Inari Shrine.
Tamahime Inari Shrine is an ancient Shinto shrine in Tokyo’s Taito Ward. According to the Association of Shinto Shrines in Tokyo, the history of this Shinto shrine started in 760.
Since the Edo period, Tamahime Inari Shrine’s neighborhood has been a prosperous producer of shoes and leather. And many of the shrine’s parishioners work in those industries. That’s why locals refer to Tamahime Inari Shrine as the Shoe Shrine.
One of the events at Tamahime Inari Shrine is Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair (the Shoe Festival Market). Here, you can buy footwear and leather goods at very reasonable prices. This Shinto shrine even holds memorial services for old shoes.
Tamahime Inari Shrine had Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair on Saturday, November 26 and Sunday, November 27, 2022. This blog post will share what it was like.
We hope this blog post will help you somewhat when you visit Tokyo for sightseeing. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us through the contact form.
This blog post is also available in Japanese. You can refer to it at the following link:
About Tamahime Inari Shrine
Tamahime Inari Shrine is an ancient Shinto shrine in Kiyokawa, Taito Ward. According to the Association of Shinto Shrines in Tokyo, the history of this Shinto shrine started in 760.
During the Edo period, this Shinto shrine’s neighborhood was called Sanya-Asakusa-Cho. For this reason, locals referred to Tamahime Inari Shrine as Sanya-no-Tamahime-sama (Lord Tamahime of Sanya).
Near Tamahime Inari Shrine, there used to be Shin-Yoshiwara (a.k.a. Yoshiwara Yukaku), a legal red-light district. Kuchiire Inari Shrine, located in the precincts of Tamahime Inari Shrine, was initially in Shin-Yoshiwara.
About Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair
Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair is an event held by people who work in the shoe industry or leather industry. They have two major reasons why they have this event:
- to express gratitude for the shoes;
- to pray for their industrial prosperity.
At Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair, you can buy shoes and leather products, such as belts and bags, at great prices. The event brochure claims “60% to 80% off the drop.”
Tamahime Inari Shrine offers memorial services for shoes at Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair. People pray for the health of the feet by holding a memorial service for old shoes.
Event Dates
Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair is held on the last weekend of April and November every year. And Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair opens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair in 2022
- April 23 (Sat) and 24 (Sun)
- November 26 (Sat) and 27 (Sun)
Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair in2023 (Expected Dates)
- April 29 (Sat) and 30 (Sun)
- November 18 (Sat) and 19 (Sun)
Directions (How to Get to Tamahime Inari Shrine)
Nearby Stations
The nearby stations to Tamahime Inari Shrine are as follows:
- Minami-Senju Station on the Joban Line
- Minami-Senju Station on the Hibiya Line
- Minami-Senju Station on the Tsukuba Express Line
- Minowa Station on the Hibiya Line
Whichever station you choose, you will have to walk for more than 10 minutes. If this is your first time in the area, we recommend taking a bus or a taxi.
Nearby Bus Stops
The nearby bus stops to Tamahime Inari Shrine are as follows:
- Kiyokawa 2-Chome Stop of Toei Bus (東 42-2/Higashi 42-2)
- Kiyokawa 1-Chome Stop of Megurin North Route (Asakusa)
The Toei Bus (42-2) departs from any Minami-Senju Station’s west exit. You can also get on Megurin North Route (Asakusa) at Asakusa Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line (a.k.a. Tobu Skytree Line).
Our Thoughts
We visited Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair on Sunday, November 27. We chose this date because the weather on Saturday, November 26, was not very good. Fortunately, we were blessed with good weather on the 27th.
The venue, Tamahime Inari Shrine, is a little inconvenient from where we live. We got on Megurin North Route (Asakusa) from Asakusa Station (Stop #1) on the Tobu Isesaki Line (a.k.a. the Tobu Skytree Line).
The nearby bus stop to Tamahime Inari Shrine is Kiyokawa 1-Chome Stop (Stop #8). It took 15 minutes to travel from Asakusa Station Stop to this stop. On the way, we enjoyed a peaceful bus trip that passed in front of Matsuchiyama Shoden Temple and Imado Shrine.
We arrived at Tamahime Inari Shrine just after 11 a.m. The venue was very lively due to the large number of vendors and visitors.
We were able to see the Shoe Mikoshi, a sacred religious palanquin, for the first time. Tamahime Inari Shrine holds a ceremony to dedicate this Shoe Mikoshi to the shrine every year. It seems the ceremony was canceled this time, probably due to COVID-19.
Also, we couldn’t watch the memorial services for the shoes this time because the timing wasn’t right. According to the brochure of Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair, the shrine held the memorial services on the following dates and times:
- Saturday, November 26, 2022: 3:00 p.m.
- Sunday, November 27, 2022: 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
When we go to Kutsu-Matsuri-Ichi Fair next time, we will check the time of the memorial services before heading to the venue.
