# Toka Ebisu at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine

> From 9 to 11 January, people come to Imamiya Ebisu Shrine in Osaka to pray for good business and take home a bamboo branch hung with lucky charms. On the 10th a palanquin procession arrives at the shrine.

- Prefecture: Osaka
- Type: Other
- Admission: Free to attend
- Typically held: 9 to 11 January every year: Yoi Ebisu on the 9th, Hon Ebisu on the 10th and Nokori Ebisu on the 11th. The Hoekago procession is on the 10th.
- Official site: https://www.imamiya-ebisu.jp/tokaebisu

## Dates

- 2027-01-09 to 2027-01-11
- Status: confirmed
- Dates verified on 2026-10-30 from https://www.imamiya-ebisu.jp/schedule

Imamiya Ebisu Shrine is said to have been founded around 600, when Prince Shotoku built Shitenno-ji, and it has long been worshipped as the guardian of the city's markets. Toka Ebisu is the most important rite of its year. Over three days in January, people who run shops and businesses come to pray for a good year, and the call you hear across the grounds is "Shobai hanjo de sasa motte koi", roughly "for good business, bring the bamboo". The bamboo is the fukuzasa, a green branch to which visitors tie small charms such as gold coins and sea bream. The branches are handed out by fukumusume, young women chosen by the shrine for the festival. On the 10th the Hoekago procession comes to the shrine. It began with the geisha of Minami travelling here in palanquins, and the shrine says it took its present form more than two hundred years ago; in the Meiji, Taisho and early Showa periods as many as a hundred palanquins took part. Today a local association runs it, not the shrine, and it sets off from the Dotonbori area of Minami. Fish market workers also bring a large sea bream as an offering, a custom now kept by the Kizu market.

## Where it happens
- Shinsekai
- Tsutenkaku

## FAQ

### When is Toka Ebisu at Imamiya Ebisu in 2027?

From 9 to 11 January 2027, the same dates as every year. The 10th, Hon Ebisu, is the main day and the day of the Hoekago procession.

### Where does the Hoekago procession start?

From the Dotonbori area of Minami, ending at the shrine on 10 January. It is run by a local association rather than the shrine, and the start time is announced each year, so check before you go.

### How do I get to Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, and does it cost anything?

Imamiya-Ebisu Station on the Nankai Koya Line is right beside the shrine, and Daikokucho and Ebisucho stations on the Osaka Metro are about 8 minutes away on foot. JR Shin-Imamiya Station is about a 10 minute walk to the south. Entry is free; you pay only for a fukuzasa or charms if you want one.

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Source: [Toka Ebisu at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine — Japan Voyage](https://travel.japanvoyage.jp/festivals/imamiya-toka-ebisu)
Last updated: 2026-10-30