Location: Nankata, Omonogawa-machi, Yokote City
Site(s) of performance: Inari Shrine and other places in the community
Date(s): the Saturday, Sunday, or holiday closest to July 16
Category: Taiko-Furyū and Matsuri-Bayashi
This is a folkloric performance art of dance music for the Kashima-Okuri rituals, which is organized by a special organization called Nenban, an Inari Shrine’s parishioners’ association. A yatai float (Kashima ship) goes around the community and people put their small Kashima dolls on the yatai float. The Kashima-Okuri of Nankata was originally learned from Fukai, but unlike at Fukai, there is no large Kashima doll on the yatai float at Nankata. Moreover, at Nankata, the small Kashima dolls are brought to a straw boat (not the yatai float) on the riverside behind Inari Shrine and put into the river. The music and dance performed during the rituals include the Akita Ondo, Saisai Dance, and Sword Bayashi. Music is generally fast, played with shime-daiko (small high-pitched Japanese drums), Japanese flutes, and hand cymbals. The Saisai Dance is generally practiced around this area and is characterized as a hand dance with hand towels.
