About 300 years ago, in order to pray for the expulsion of a plague that struck the entire Himi town area, a divine spirit was brought from Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine as a god to ward off disease, and prayers for recovery were held. This is the origin of the festival.
The festival is held on both sides of the "Naka-no-hashi" bridge in the city center, as the grand festival of the ten neighborhoods of Hiyoshi Shrine parishioners on the south side, and the six neighborhoods of Himiyama Shrine parishioners on the north side.
In the southern ten neighborhoods, the god of Gion is transferred into a portable shrine (mikoshi), and together with festival floats (hikiyama) and taiko drum platforms, the procession tours each neighborhood. The hikiyama are decorated with flower canopies during the day and lanterns at night, delighting tourists. In the northern six neighborhoods, mikoshi and taiko drum platforms also make a procession.