Osannomiya Fall Festival (Hie Jinja Reitaisai)

In mid-September every year, Hie Shrine hosts a mikoshi (portable shrine) festival to pay tribute to the soul of Osan, the legendary apprentice of Kanbei Yoshida who, as a sign of appreciation and eternal loyalty to his master, allegedly threw himself into the waters to become a human pillar, hoping to help accelerate the completion of the land reclamation project that was suffering from numerous delays.

In odd years, 40 large and small mikoshis are paraded from the shrine to the nearby Isezaki Mall (Isezakicho), through the street of Yoshidamachi, and then back by roaring high-spirited members of various neighborhood associations in the area.