Location: Shitagawara, Kakunodate-machi, Semboku City
Site(s) of performance: Yamanokami Shrine, Shōanji Temple, and other places in the community
Date(s): August 13–15 and 20 (no longer practiced at the time of survey in fiscal year 2012)
Designation: Prefecture-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property
Category: Sasara and Horse Dance
Concerning the origin of the Shitagawara Sasara, it is said that Tozawa Goemon brought it here in 1787. After the lion dance is performed as an offering at Yamanokami Shrine, it is then performed at the garden of individual houses to pray for the appeasement of the spirits of the ancestors, rich harvests, and the repulsion of diseases. It is characteristic of the lion dance here that the lion does not jump much and only shakes its head.
