Location: Hanawa, Kazuno City Site(s) of performance: In districts of the city, the open space in front of Kazuno-Hanawa Train Station, and Inamura Bridge Date(s): August 7 and 8 Category: Furyū Hanawa Neputa is a kind of Tanabata Festival of the Neburi-Nagashi type, which means ‘to wash away evil spirits.’ At Hanawa, large pentagonal lanterns …
Location: Funakoshi, Oga City Site(s) of performance: Funakoshi Canal on the water Date(s): July 7 Category: Furyū Designation: State-Designated Important Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property (Toko-Yasaka Shrine’s Tonin Festival)This is performed at the annual festival of Tōko-Yasaka Shrine. At the festival, from the Tennō side appears the deity of Susanoo-no-Mikoto, who goes around the town on …
Location: Tashiro, Futatsui-machi, Noshiro City Site(s) of performance: Various places in the community Date(s): August 13 and 1st Sunday of September Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū Tashiro Bon Dance is performed twice, at Obon (mid-August) and in early September. Until the early 20th century, four communities (Takayashi, Mukaeda, Hachibei, and Shichimura) practiced …
Location: Hataya, Minehama, Happo Town Site(s) of performance: Chōsenji Temple, the cemetery, and other places in the community Date(s): August 16 Category: Furyū The yakko dance (samurai servants’ dance) is practiced at Hataya. This yakko dance is said to have been brought here originally from Dōji (Noshiro City), but later the yakko dance of Mizusawa …
Location: Uwa-Nawashiro, Hachimantai, Kazuno City Site(s) of performance: Yasaka Shrine, Amaterasu Sumemioya Shrine, and other places in the community Date(s): August 15 and 16 (annual festival of the Amaterasu Sumemioya Shrine) Category: Furyū The Sakibarai Dance is a kind of exorcism dance that is performed before the departure of a mikoshi (a religious palanquin carrying …
Taninai Amaterasu Sumemioya Shrine Sakibarai Dance Read More »
Location: Osato Kawara, Hachimantai, Kazuno City Site(s) of performance: Inari Shrine and other places in the community Date(s): August 15 and 16 (annual festival of Inari Shrine) Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū The Sakibarai Dance is a kind of exorcism dance that is performed before the departure of a mikoshi (a religious …
Location: Osawa, Fujisato Town Site(s) of performance: Various places in the community Date(s): May 4 (Kumano Shrine’s annual festival) Category: Furyū Around the 30th year of Meiji (1897), several performers stayed in the community of Osawa for a couple of days while going around all over the country. They showed the villagers their performance with …
Location: Ani Silver Mine, Kita-Akita City Site(s) of performance: Anywhere Date(s): Anytime Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū The Ani Silver Mine was the largest mine in Japan in the mid-18th century, constituting a source of precious revenue for the government of the Akita Domain. Karame was a process in mine production where …
Location: Odate City Site(s) of performance: Anywhere Date(s): Anytime Category: Furyū Karakaranzu is a kind of folkloric song, which was also played for Bon dances. Karakaranzu is an alternate name for the Eurasian reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), also called yoshikiri. The song is rather monotonous but people say it has certain elegance. Karakaranzu started in …
Location: Hanawa, Kazuno City Site(s) of performance: Various places in the community Date(s): from late August to the day of Chushu-no-Meigetsu (the day of full moon closest to the autumnal equinox) Designation: Prefecture-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū After the annual festival of Sakiwai-Inari Shrine, the districts in the town of Hanawa perform town …