Location: Kogake, Futatsui Town
Site(s) of performance: In an open space in the community
Date(s): August 13, 14, and 20
Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property
Category: Sasara and Horse Dance
Even though it is called a sasara dance as a whole, the Kogake Sasara Dance includes not only sasara (lion dance) but also a horse dance and yakko dance (samurai servants’ dance). The sasara here is danced by a lion performed by one person. Shishimai was brought here by the followers of Lord Satake when he was reassigned from Hitachi-Ōta (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture) to Akita in 1602. Because of its origin, the sasara here is presented in a form of a daimyo’s procession. It is performed to appease the spirits of the ancestors at Obon and to pray for a rich harvest.
