Tenma -- A neighborhood where Osaka’s lively personality is always on full display

By day an energetic shopping district and by night a backstreet maze of quirky bars, Tenma is a lively Osaka neighborhood steeped in history. Get to know an authentic side of the city in this neighborhood known for a historical shrine, massive annual festival, and one-of-a-kind nightlife.

Osaka Tenmangu Shrine and Tenjin Matsuri

Tenma gets its name from a thousand-year-old shrine called Osaka Tenmangu, the heart of the bustling district. Osaka Tenmangu was founded in 949 for the deity of scholarship, Sugawara Michizane. Also known as Tenjin, Sugawara was a Heian era (794-1185 AD) scholar, poet, and politician. Shrines around Japan are dedicated to his legacy, but Osaka Tenmangu is his headquarters. Students often venture here to pray for good grades on their exams. The shrine is a peaceful and relaxing place to pray or enjoy the plum and cherry flowers blossoming every spring.

However, things get crazy once a year during the Tenjin Festival. The festival, celebrated annually on July 24 and 25, commemorates Tenjin, whose spirit is paraded around Tenma in a mikoshi (portable shrine). On day one, religious ceremonies are held at the shrine. Marching bands, fireworks, and a massive boat procession on the second day bring together spectators from around the nation. The festival draws hundreds of thousands, making it Osaka’s largest festival and one of the top three in all of Japan.

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