Tenjin Matsuri is a festival held throughout Japan around the 25th of the month every year at various Tenmangū shrines. The festival commemorates the death anniversary of the deity Sugawara no Michizane. The month of observance varies between shrines, of these festivals, the one held on 25 July at Osaka Tenmangū Shrine is the largest. Ranking with the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto and Kanda Matsuri in Tokyo, the Tenjin Matsuri is considered to be one of the three major Shintō festivals in Japan. Its original purpose was to appease the spirit of Michizane, who was thought to have combined with the thunder god Tenjin.
