Held every autumn since 1935, the Fude Brush Festival is Kumano Town’s biggest calendar event. It pays tribute to both the celebrated calligrapher Emperor Saga (786-842CE) and the enterprising villagers in Kumano who established the region’s brush-making industry nearly two hundred years ago.

In addition to large-scale calligraphy painting, a calligraphy competition, and ritualistically burning old brushes, Kumano brush makers come to the festival to sell their brushes at special discounted prices. The festival attracts over 50,000 visitors every year.