Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival

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When is Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival 2027?

Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival usually runs late April. Exact dates are not announced yet.

How the dates are set: The Asakusa event has been held on a weekend in late April in several past years, and the temple sets the day each year.

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Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival schedule

Opening: A Shinto priest opens the festival with rituals praying for the healthy growth of each baby.
Matches: Two babies at a time compete in short matches in a handmade outdoor ring, held by professional or student sumo wrestlers. The first to cry wins, and if both cry, the louder or longer cry wins.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Tickets and cost

The festival is free and open to the public. Some shrines and temples require parents to apply or pay a fee for a baby to take part, and popular ones choose children by lottery.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

History of Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival

The Naki Sumo festival has been held across Japan for over 400 years. It comes from the folk belief that an innocent baby's loud cry can drive off demons, and from the proverb naku ko wa sodatsu, 'crying babies grow fastest'. The best-known one is held each year at Sensoji in Asakusa.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival: questions people ask

What is the Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival?

It is a Japanese festival where sumo wrestlers hold babies in a ring and try to make them cry. The first baby to cry is the winner.

Why do they make babies cry at Nakizumo?

In Japanese folklore, strong, loud crying is a sign of healthy growth and is believed to ward off evil spirits.

Is the Nakizumo festival in Asakusa free?

Yes, watching is free. Parents may need to apply or pay a fee to enter a baby.

How many babies take part at Sensoji?

In 2017, 160 babies born in 2016 took part.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, metro.co.uk

About Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival

Sumo wrestlers hold babies in a ring at Sensoji Temple, and the first to cry wins.

At Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, student sumo wrestlers hold babies facing each other, and the first baby to cry wins. A Shinto priest opens the day with a prayer for each baby's health, and a loud cry is believed to ward off evil spirits. If the babies stay calm, a referee in a demon mask may step in. Watching is free, and in late April the Asakusa event is the best known of many across Japan.

Know before you go

Watching is free and open to the public.
Some temples and shrines ask parents to apply or pay a fee for a baby to take part.
Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT) both serve Tokyo, and Sensoji is in Asakusa in the city's east.

Planning the trip

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