The Battle of the Masked Swordsmen on Noto Island
Date; The last Saturday in September every year
Location; 9-32-B, Magari-cho, Notojima, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture
Access; Take the limited express train from Kanazawa to Wakura Onsen Station (about 1 hour). From there, it’s about a 10-minute ride by local bus or taxi. Local buses run about once every two hours. The trip to Kanazawa from both Tokyo and Osaka takes a little over 2.5 hours by Shinkansen or limited express train.
Noto island
Noto Island, nestled at the entrance to the Noto Peninsula, is a small island with a circumference of about 70 km. Transportation isn’t very convenient. As for public transportation, there are only six local bus routes running per day. Cars are the main mode of transportation. There are convenience stores, but they close around 7:00 p.m. Restaurants and other eateries follow a similar schedule.
However, this place has even more to offer. Each community on this island has its own unique festival. Today, I’d like to introduce one of them: the festival held in the community of Magari 曲.
Oomiya shrine
After gathering at the community center, the group first makes its way to Omiya Shrine. Today is the shrine’s festival.
Then, a skit performed by masked characters begins. The main attraction of this festival is these skits, which are performed at various locations throughout the town. According to the schedule, it was supposed to start at 11:00, but it had already begun a little after 10:30.
This is the highlight of the performance, known as the “Dan-shichi Dance.” The story originates from a peasant who was unjustly killed by a samurai, and his daughters, who avenge his death. It’s interesting that they use weapons like kusarigama, which is rare in this kind of entertainment. By the way, a kusarigama is a weapon with a chain attached to the end of the handle and a sickle at the tip.
These short skits are called “niwaka.” The festival essentially consists of performing these “niwaka” skits at various locations, accompanied by flutes and drums.
Around noon, once the dedication ceremony at the shrine is over, the procession makes its way around the town.
At a Certain House, Part 1
After finishing their visit to one house, the group headed to another house in the afternoon. There, in the front yard, they performed a “niwaka” skit. Of course, the festival participants were treated to food and drinks.
At a Certain House, Part 2
The festival group made its way through the neighborhood and arrived at the seaside square at 3:30 p.m. This spot serves as the harbor and is where the largest crowd gathers. That said, this event is also being hosted by a private home.
Apparently, in a showdown with a lion, it’s really tough because while the opponents keep changing, the actor playing the lion never does.
And here, too, the performance concludes with the “Dan-shichi Dance.”
When the sisters declare, “We’re here to avenge our father’s death—we’re ready for anything,” Dan-shichi laughs wickedly, saying, “Ha ha ha, how ridiculous. I’ll turn the tables on you.” This is the only one with dialogue.
When children see this, they all imitate Dan-shichi, so even though he’s a villain, he might be something of a hero they look up to here.
And so, after a full hour, the festival becomes a cherished memory for the islanders.
In Closing
Actually, after that—with a break in between—they still had three more stops scheduled until around 8:30 p.m.
Here on Noto Island, unique festivals are held almost every week in various villages from September through October. It’s a bit of a hassle to get there, but once you go, you’ll find that even though there’s “nothing” there, you’ll leave with something truly special.
Ishikawa prefecture official https://www.hot-ishikawa.jp/spot/detail_6106.html