Base data

Date：18th April Every two years (odd-numbered years)
Location ：Itozaki dera-temple 糸崎, 22-5 Itozaki Town, Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture
Access ：From Fukui Station, take Keifuku Bus (Echizen Kaigan Blue Line No. 10) for 1 hour, alight at Itozaki and walk 20 minutes.
　　　　To reach Fukui, take the Shinkansen if you are travelling from Tokyo. From Nagoya, take the Shinkansen to Maibara and then
the lmited express via Tsuruga. From Kyoto, take the limited express via Tsuruga.

Buddha dances

What does it mean that Buddha dances? Roughly speaking, it means that Buddha statues move in costumes. An immovable statue of Buddha moves. In other words, the doll moves. You can see such a mysterious scene at a small temple on the coast of Fukui Prefecture.

Just standing there, they are not much different from ordinary Buddhist statues. But they move. Let’s visit the site first.

Head to Itozaki

Itozakidera-temple

A small temple quietly overlooks the sea. The road leading to the temple is crowded with cars only this day.

The audience surrounds the stage. Local primary and junior high school students also gather in one corner. And snack stands are open. Most of the spectators seem to be locals. You don’t see photographers lined up in a row. Scheduled to start at 1.30 pm. The scene 30 minutes before that.

Before the Dance of the Buddha

At 1.30, an announcement signals the start of the event. It’s finally time to begin. Yet the Buddha does not emerge immediately. Women wearing sedge hat come out. And sit and sing a song in praise of the Buddha.

Emergence of the main actors

15 minutes later, when the audience is ready, the main character appears. A group of musicians leads the way, followed by children, the Buddha.

Buddha dance

An announcement is made and the Buddha’s dance begins. But imagining something like modern dance will only disappoint you. According to legend, in the eighth century, when people enshrined a statue of Buddha in this temple, the Buddha danced happily. However, the earliest recorded date is the 19 century. It is the Buddha’s dance that people imagined more than 100 years ago. It is also divided into several dances, but it is difficult to tell the difference. A monotonous dance accompanied by a drum and a gong. In fact, the audience, who had been eagerly watching in the front row from the middle of the performance, gradually moved away to their desired position.

But it’s funny, and it starts to be fun. The monotonous rhythm creates a kind of hallucination state.
Then I started thinking about this. The event has been going on for at least 100 years. People in the past saw the same thing. It’s like a time machine. What were people thinking when they watched this? Did they think it was monotonous? Or was it grateful? Eventually, I began to hallucinate as if people from the past are standing there looking the same.

At the last dance, the Buddhas stopped dancing one by one. And when the lasted one stops moving, all the dancing came to an end. About an hour. At the end of the glittering but quiet event, the Buddhas walked up to the main hall.

At the end

Fukui Prefecture may not be a familiar place. However, there are a number of places to see, including the famous Zen temple Eiheiji 永平寺. I hope that one day you will also experience the mysterious Buddhist dance.

https://enjoy.pref.fukui.lg.jp/en

Date：24 April every year.

Location：7238 Oaza No, Itoigawa-city, Niigata prefecture

Access： Shinkansen from Tokyo. If Hakutaka, change at Itoigawa and take the Hisui Line to Nou. About 2.5 hours. If you take Toki, change at Echigo-Yuzawa and take the Hokuhoku Line to Naoetsu, then the Hisui Line to Nou 能生. From there it is a 20-minute walk.

Spring in the snow country

Bugaku 舞楽

Masked dance

Nobatou 能抜頭

Ｎasori 納曽利

The king finally descends陵王

After the children’s dance, it is time for the final star of the show, the Ryo King. So, yes, this is the most famous of all bugaku dances, the “Lanryou ou(king) 蘭陵王” dance. The dance has the following anecdotes. Once upon a time, there was a brave warlord in a country called Northern Qi in China. But people rumored that he was too well-formed and feminine. Thinking this would not improve the morale of the army, he put on a frightening mask and fought and won a great victory. This legendary figure was a real person in the mid-6th century.

Let’s go to Nou

On taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo, the Toki and Hakutakas were continuous. Toki is a little cheaper. But that was a mistake. The transfer was not smooth and I ended up waiting for an hour in Naoetsu 直江津. Lesson 1. If you go to an unfamiliar place, you should have as much time as possible. And choose the route with fewer transfers.
The temperature in Niigata Prefecture on that day was 15 degrees. Even though it is over 20 degrees in all areas west of Tokyo, it is still cold. So, on the way, I could see the cherry blossoms in full bloom behind the snowy landscape from the train window.

Also, this route has a lot of tunnels. Stations are located between tunnels, some of them in tunnels.

Nou hakusan shrine　能生白山神社

People are gathered around the stage in the center. The right side of the entrance is stepped. In the front row, a couple dressed up in kimono. The shrine is said to have been built in the 3rd century; the main building, which was rebuilt in the early 16th century, is an important national cultural asset.
Why are these people sitting in the front row in formal dress? I found that out at the end of the festival. They were the parents of the children of “Chigomai”. They were probably proud and anxious at the same time to see their own children on the big day. After all the children’s dances were over, I could see them weeping involuntarily.
It was a moment when I could once again realized that this is what the festival is all about.

This time it is set in Aichi Prefecture. Aichi Prefecture is a region centered around Nagoya and is geographically located in the middle of Osaka and Tokyo. Nagoya is also the home of Toyota, a famous car manufacturer. Most of Japan is covered by mountains, so if you leave the coastal plain, it becomes a mountainous area. Aichi Prefecture is no exception. The northern part of Aichi Prefecture, bordering Shizuoka Prefecture to the east and Nagano Prefecture to the north, is particularly mountainous. Because there are such places, old performing arts often remain as they are. One of them is “Hana-matsuri ” 花祭り”. In the past, this festival (which has a history of about 700 years) used to take a month to hold. But, this was too expensive, so people shortened it to three days, and now they do it in a single day. However, there are many areas where the festival continues from noon to noon the next day. Currently, residents of 15 locations in this district continue to participate.

Because of its location, transportation access is very poor. All festivals are held on top of the mountain and far from the station. This area belongs to Shinshiro City. The population of Shinshiro City is approximately 50,000. Forty thousand of them live at the foot of the mountain.

Festivals cost money. The enthusiasm of the locals is strong, but it is not enough to keep the festival afloat. For this reason, a tour bus has recently started to operate from the station at the foot of the mountain only during the period when several festivals are concentrated. Toyotetsu Sightseeing has also begun to offer tours. Even with a car, it is dangerous to go to a mountainous sight-seeing area at night. We recommend that those who wish to visit join a such a tour.

“Hanamatsuri” is a festival centered on Oni (ogres). So maybe there used to be a tour like this.
This article is based on the 2018 tour.

Yamami-Oni 山見鬼

Tehohe, Tehohe,. Tewotole tole

Sakaki-Oni 榊鬼

It was around 3:30 in the morning when the Sakaki Oni, the main character of the Hana Matsuri, made his appearance.

First, the dance of the accompanying Oni enlivens the occasion.

Negi, Okina, Miko (or Oturuhyala) 禰宜、翁、巫女（おつるひゃら）

Breakfast, and Yubayashi 湯ばやし

Asa-Oni 朝鬼~ ending

After the Yamami-oni and Sakaki-oni, the last Oni appears. That is the “Asa-oni”. The literal translation is “morning oni. The Asa-oni knocks off the symbol of the gods that is suspended from the “maido”. Next, a lion appears to purify the scene. After that, People return the deities they invited back to where they came from, and all festivities come to an end.
But it’s time for us to leave.

Fifteen Hana Matsuri have survived throughout the region, and although the people in each community suffer from a shortage of labor, they held between November and March of the following year. In order to support the festival, buses run late at night from the nearest station to each area on the days when the festival is concentrated, and travel agencies offer tours such as the one introduced in this article. It is one of the festivals where you can feel the original landscape of the Japanese people.

I would like to conclude with a comment posted on Instagram by a young woman who lives in the area.
She commented, “Life in general is inconvenient here, too, but I think it’s okay to continue living here because of the Hanamatsuri.”

Date: September 20 every year
Location: Kumakabuto shrine 熊甲神社, Miyamae, Nakajima town, Nanao city, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan
Access: The nearest station is Noto-nakajima 能登中島 Station. It takes about 4.5 hours from Tokyo to there by Shinkansen and limited express. From Kanazawa, it takes about 1.5 hours by limited express and local train. A shuttle bus runs from Noto-nakajima Station on the day of the festival. There are also city buses.

Festival flow

There is a heroic festival in the Noto Peninsula in which many Sarutahiko appear. On this day alone, the cheers of the people and the excitement of the festival overtake the usually quiet town. On this day only, the people who go to this place take a day off from school and work to attend the festival. And they stubbornly observe the 20th. This festival is filled with the spirit of the people.

The festival is held by 19 shrines associated with Kumakabuto Shrine and their residents.
The festival consists of three main parts. First, people from each town come to the shrine with portable shrines and flags (the flags are the key to the festival). Next, when all the townspeople gather, move to Otabisho which is about 500 meters away from the shrine. Finally, the participants perform a performance using flags at the otabisho. During these processions, the leader of the procession is Sarutahiko, an incarnation of the masked god. As readers of other articles on this site may know, Sarutahiko has always been the leader of Japanese festivals. Especially there’s a lot of them at this festival. There are at least two or three Sarutahiko in a town, and there are 19 towns in all. One of the highlights of the festival is that these Sarutahiko parade through the streets and shrines, performing their unique dances to the rhythm of gongs and drums. Let’s take a closer look.

The entry of the portable shrine into the shrine’s premises

Festival morning comes early. Around 7:00 a.m., people carrying portable shrines and flags from each town leave the town for the shrine. There are 19 towns in total, some of which face the sea. So people from these towns bring their portable shrines to nearby towns on boats. By about 8:00 all the town get together. For a distance of about 200 meters, the festival group, centering on the mikoshi, will line up in front of the shrine. Let me explain about the flag here. This flag is the most distinctive and symbolic feature of this festival. It is a long red flag, about 20 meters long, and is called “wakuhata 枠旗”. Unfortunately, due to a lack of volunteers to carry the flag, the length of the flag has been shortened to about 15 meters in many places these days.
Upon arrival, the first thing Sarutahiko does is tap on the steps of the main shrine. This is a greeting that he has arrived. Following this, people raise the flags in the precincts of the shrine with a loud shout. The ceremony lasts for about two and a half hours. This ceremony at once sends the audience into a whirlpool of excitement. When all towns arrive it will be approximately 10:30 am. From there, the arrival greeting ceremony begins. Led by Sarutahiko’s dance, portable shrines and tool bearers march in two lines to greet the gods. When all are assembled, the priest proceeds to the center and gives a festive greeting to the deity. Here all rituals in the precincts of the shrine come to an end. This is the first part.

Heading to the Otabisho 御旅所

Shimada kuzushi (Otabisho)

Guided by Sarutahiko, mikoshi and flags from each town depart one after another for Kamohara, the otabisho. The last group finally leaves the shrine around 2:00 PM when the first group arrives at Kamohara. The sight of red flags over 15 meters high lining the Kamohara and golden mikoshi (portable shrines) in the sun is spectacular. And here is the highlight of the festival: the flag parade.

Among them, the skill that people are most looking forward to is Shimada-kuzushi. It means to put it into disorder. It is a technique to knock down a long flag so as not to touch the ground. The origin of the name is as follows:. Once toppled, the flag touched the hair of a woman who came to see the festival and ruined her hairstyle. The name of the hairstyle is Shimada. It is said that the name ‘Shimada-kuzushi’ came from the fact. The festival continues until around 5:00 p.m., and the fervor continues unabated. Unfortunately, we can no longer use long flags like before. Because of the labor shortage in recent years. However, the spectacle and enthusiasm of the event is the same as in the past.

Ending

It takes only 2 hours to get there from Kanazawa (Kanazawa is 2.5 hours from Tokyo). In addition, Wakura 和倉 Onsen (hot spring) is just 15 minutes away. Wakura Onsen is also home to the most famous inn in Japan, Kagaya 加賀屋, which has been voted the best inn in Japan for many years in a row (though it is moderately priced).

In 2025, the Noto Peninsula was damaged by a major earthquake and also by heavy rain in the summer. It is still in the middle of reconstruction, but the people have been reviving the town with the indomitable spirit of never giving up, and the festival has continued. Why don’t you see the beauty of the Noto Peninsula, the strength of the people, and the valor of the festival with your own eyes?

Hida Furukawa is called a back room, as it were, to Hida Takayama 高山. As its name suggests, it is located about 15 kilometers from Takayama, a famous tourist destination, and a 15-minute train ride away. Originally developed as a castle town of a feudal lord named Kanamori, it later became a territory directly under the Tokugawa shogunate.

One of the places you should stop by when you come to Furukawa is the Matsuri Kaikan 祭り会館 (Festival Hall).

Furukawa has a big festival on April 19 and 20. The main event is the main festival, in which various parts of the town pull magnificent, ornate yatai floats with karakuri (mechanical) dolls on them, but the event called ”Ｏkoshi-taiko” (drumming to wake the town up) held the day before the main festival is particularly famous. In this, a huge drum is on a large raft-like platform, and two people take turns beating it. Then each town group carries a smaller drum and tries to get closer to the main drum. People consider an honor to get as close as possible to the main drum, and the groups thrashes each other violently. Thus the heavy bass of the taiko drums cruises through the town of Furukawa until midnight, signaling the start of the festival.

At the Matsuri Kaikan, visitors can not only see the actual floats and karakuri dolls, but also watch the festival on a powerful screen in the theater.

You can see the most highlight, Shirakabe Dozo 白壁土蔵 (white wall storehouse) Street, from the side of the temple in front of the festival hall.

There are 1,000 carp swimming in the Setogawa River and you can feed them, but you have to feed them from a feed box fixed to them. It is because the amount of feed given per day is fixed. In winter, dozens of people move carp to different locations to avoid the freezing cold, a unique challenge in mountainous areas.

There is a word “Hida no Takumi” (artisans of Hida) to describe Hida craftsmen. This is proof that people all over the country trusted Hida craftsmen. A part of it we can now see in each of the houses. It is called “Kumogata hijiki 雲形肘木 (a cloud-shaped ancon)”. We usually see this in temples and shrines, but here you can see it in private houses. This is a remnant of the excellent woodworking skills of the Hida carpenters, who were active in many parts of the country.

Each carpenter changes the pattern on it. Therefore, you can tell which carpenter did the work by looking at the pattern. We can see the pride of the craftsmen in this work. It is also famous for its wood carvings.

There are simple ramen noodles with a nostalgic flavor, handmade soba noodles, and cafes in old private homes. There is also a famous sake brewery that won the Grand Prix. In recent years, the area has become well known as the setting for the animated film “Kimi no na wa” (“your name” directed by Shinkai Makoto 新海誠 ). However, since it is not as famous as Takayama, there are fewer tourists and you can enjoy a relaxing stroll.

To a town with a sense of nostalgia

cx.
https://hida.travel/
https://visitgifu.com/

There is a term “Hida no Takumi” (artisans of Hida). Hida 飛騨 is a mountainous area. There is little flat land suitable for agriculture, and people had no choice but to make a living from wood. From there, the people of Hida developed their woodworking skills. Eventually, the technique became known throughout the country, and Hida wood was used for various types of construction, and carpenters and other technicians went to various places in response to the demand.

The Hida region is part of present-day Gifu Prefecture. In the past, they were divided more finely than the current administrative division. Therefore, the southern part of Gifu Prefecture was called Mino and the northern part was called Hida. Mino has many plains, and commerce developed in close cooperation with the neighboring Owari region (western Aichi Prefecture). Even now, it takes nearly two hours from Takayama to Gifu by express train. Therefore, Hida developed itself. Takayama is the center of Hida, so the station is much bigger than the surrounding area.

Eventually you will see the river and cross an impressive bridge, which marks the beginning of the old town.

This town seems to be famous even abroad and is always full of tourists. Sometimes groups of visitors occupy the road and take pictures. The streets are narrow because of the old townscape, so it is unavoidable that the streets fill up quickly.

However, after 5:30 in the evening, people suddenly disappear. Probably because the group guests have gone home. Most of the restaurants also close at 6:00 p.m. This means that if you are planning to eat or buy souvenirs, you need to get there early. (If you go to the street in front of the station, the big souvenir stores are open.)

By the time the lights are turned on, the town is once again quiet and regains its original appearance.

https://www.hida.jp/english/

People say that there are seven valleys in Ina 伊那. The transportation is not so convenient. It takes 20 minutes by train from Iida Station, the main station of the region, to Ichida Station, the nearest station of this festival. It takes about 30 minutes to walk from the station. There is only one train every hour or so. That is how deep the mountains are in the region, but that is why so many performing arts remain. The biggest feature of this area is the appearance of a huge lion called “Yatai Shishi 屋台獅子”. There are many “yatai” lion dances in the area, but the lion dance of Ruri-dera temple 瑠璃寺 is considered to be the origin of all of them. It is said to have a long history, dating back about 600 years. However, the current form started about 120 years ago.

What is “Yatai Shishi” ?

A yatai lion is a large cart made of wood and bamboo that people enter and operate. It is easy to imagine it as a giant bamboo basket. It has wheels on both sides to move it. It is about two meters high, two meters wide, and seven meters long. There are about 20 drums, flutes, and other musical instruments inside, and a curtain is placed over the top to resemble a lion’s body. Only the leader of the group controls the lion’s head.

The feature

One of the features of Ruri-dera temple is the large number of characters that appear in it. The main character guiding the lion is “Uteno 宇天王”. Then there are two ogres who protect the lion, and a monkey who is a messenger of the shrine. The event is held at a temple called Ruri-dera temple, which also houses a shrine called Hiyoshi 日吉 Shrine. The fusion of shrines and temples is characteristic to Japan. To begin with, the people of the time learned the lion dance from the Hiyoshi Shrine in Kyoto. There is also a recently revived character named “Ranryo Oh 蘭陵王”. He dances before the lion dance. “Ranryo-oh is one of the oldest Japanese musical forms called bugaku 舞楽, which combines music and dance from the continent with traditional Japanese music and dance. For this reason, the entire lion dance is very elegant, accompanied by the sounds of bugaku.

Procession

At around 12:30 pm, small monkeys played by children begin to patrol the area. Eventually, at one o’clock, the sutra reading ceremony begins. After that, the lion dance begins.
The monkeys organize the audience with their silly movements. Then two demons come out to intimidate those who are out of line. Then, in front of the guest hall, there is a large lion with its head on the ground, asleep. The main actor, “Uten-oh” appears and wakes up the lion. When the lion is woken up, it is in a bad mood and starts to yell, but Uten-oh soothes it. Then he slowly leads the lion outside. This is how the lion’s journey to the main shrine, 500 meters away, begins. It is late spring, and the cherry blossoms begin to fall in the plains at the beginning of April, but here in the highlands, the cherry blossoms finally come into full bloom around this time. Under the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the lion slowly moves forward with the guidance of Uten-oh, accompanied by elegant old music. The journey takes about 30 minutes.
When you arrive at the main shrine, you will be given a “shishibana” which was used as the tail of a lion. This is a piece of bamboo with flowers made of five different colors of Chiyogami paper. People take these home and offer them to their Buddhist altars or display them on their altars.

In October, there is an event where all the lion dancers in the area are gathered, but this lion dance is not included in the event. In the first place, it has rarely been seen outside. Therefore, this is a rare opportunity to see it. On Saturday nights, there is also an illuminated road on the way. If time permits, I recommend staying overnight and taking your time to enjoy it.

Date: Last Sunday in September (The Sunday before October 2)
Location: Kamo 加茂, Obama city, Fukui Prefecture
Access: It takes about one hour from Kyoto to Tsuruga 敦賀 by express train. From there, change to the Obama Line and it takes about an hour to get to Shin Hirano 新平野.

Outline of Festival

The father of Japanese folklore says a festival was originally a simple way of worshipping a god. Eventually, when people came to travel to other areas and learned what was going on in other areas, they became more ingenious to make their own even better. He said they began to hold festivals more flamboyantly, more lavishly, and more lively. It is easy to imagine that many different types would have been created in such a process. And once an interesting one was created, the people around it would naturally copy it. In Japanese festivals, there is definitely a field of chasing and battling. It is mainly centered in western Japan, and can be found in Hiroshima, Osaka, and many other places. This was probably born as one of the models in such a flow. This is one of them. The festival is a very simple form. A small float in the form of a portable shrine on a car is pulled around and paraded through the town with people who play flute and drums (They are collectively called “Kagura” here).

At the shrine, girls perform an elegant traditional dance wishing for peace in the country. That’s it in a nutshell. There are no extravagant floats, and no fancy events. But that’s the way most festivals are held. Just what kind of characters will appear depends on the creativity of the district.

Characters

There are a total of four types that appear at this festival. “The demon called “yase,” the hyottoko, the okame, and the choroken. “Hyottoko” and “Okame” are two of the most popular festival characters. They entertain people with their comical movements. (For more information, please see
The word “yase” is a corruption of “yasha.” Yasha is an Indian deity and one of the guardian deities in Buddhism. In this “Yasha” group is “Kishimojin”. In order to feed her own children, Kishimojin kidnaps many human children and feeds them to her children. When the Buddha saw this, he hid her child and made her realize how sad it was to lose a child. The story goes that since then she has become the goddess of children and safe childbirth. In this festival, he appears as a red and blue masked demon, holding a long stick. They chase and beat children who make fun of them. They are almost always drunk, so even if you hit them lightly, they feel a lot of pain. But when they visit nurseries and kindergartens, everyone is scared when they come, but after they leave, everyone wants to play “Yase” games.
“Choroken” is the most popular character in this festival. “Choroken is an art form that emerged in the latter half of the Edo period (the samurai government under the Tokugawa shogun). During the New Year’s holidays, the performers would go door to door to perform their art and receive congratulatory gifts. After the end of the samurai government and the beginning of a new era, people turned a blind eye to them, saying that their antics were not appropriate for the new era, and they eventually disappeared around the time of the approaching war. It was a regional art form, mainly in Osaka and Kyoto. Here he appears in a red hat, red clothes, and a tengu-like mask.
They begin to go through the town with the portable shrine on tall casters from 10 am to 3 pm. At last, they perform at the shrine.

Around this area

There are also scenic spots and old townscapes (designated by the government as a preservation area) in the vicinity. There is a quiet, unspoiled Japan that is not often visited. A little further away (about 15 kilometers), there are beautiful terraced rice fields that are lit up during the festival season. It is definitely worth a visit.

Date: the 3rd Saturday and Sunday, September (every year)
Location: Iiyama Narasawa, Iiyama city, Nagano prefecture around the Narasawa shrine
Access: It’s about ten minutes walk from Iiyama station (JR Iiyama line or Shinkansen)

Fire has fascinated people since its discovery. Therefore, there are many festivals that use fire. https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+fire+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjOo4uE1JPwAhUaE4gKHccaB8cQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=fire+festival+Ja&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgBMgIIADIGCAAQCBAeMgYIABAIEB4yBggAEAoQGDIECAAQGDoGCAAQBBAlOgUIABCxAzoICAAQsQMQgwE6BwgAELEDEAQ6BAgAEAQ6CggAELEDEIMBEAQ6BAgAEENQoZ8EWO2CBWDTpgVoAXAAeAGAAVWIAeUNkgECMjSYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ7ABAMABAQ&sclient=img&ei=HF6CYM6lEJqmoATHtZy4DA&bih=900&biw=1902
Among them, this site introduces a magnificent festival in Nagano Prefecture, where Tengu wields large torches.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides and close to Tokyo, Nagano Prefecture has been known as a summer resort and a ski resort. Iiyama City, although a mountainous area, is not too badly accessible from Tokyo, too. It only takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to get there by Shinkansen. The cost is about 8-9,000 yen (as of 2021). If you take the highway bus, you can get to Nagano Station and then take the JR train, which costs about 6,000 yen.

These are the kinds of places where the performing arts tend to remain. A number of festivals still exist in this area. One of the most famous is the “Narasawa Shrine Festival”. First of all, please look at the following pictures.

This is the “Great Torch of Tengu” that makes the festival so famous.
When people see this, they wonder what the heck they are doing. What the hell are you doing? It is true that at festivals, things often happen that don’t make sense. But this just makes it look like they are trying to start a fire.
The festival takes place in the form of a group of people going around the village to sanctify it. Then, while celebrating newly built houses, etc., they proceed to the shrine while cutting the closures set up in several places. At that time, they perform a variety of entertainments. The Tengu wielding the torch is also a move to cut through this barrier.

Let’s take a closer look. The festival takes place over two days, but the performances are the same on both days. But the starting point and the course are different, although the ending point for both days is the shrine. The group forms a circle when they come to a place where there is a barrier rope. They perform

the dance of “Kotengue”. Also known as “Yumitengu”. In this dance, a red-faced Tengu with a bow and arrow tries to shoot arrows in all directions, but a black-faced Karasu Tengu stops him. The words are spoken, the music continues to play, and the young people around the dance continue to call out to each other.

And the lion dance. Finally, a large torch is lit, and the Tengu swings it as he heads toward the barrier rope. The power of the flames makes it easier to cut the rope, and at the end he cuts it off with his sword. It started around 6:00 p.m. and ended around 1:00 a.m. with the last performance at the shrine.

This has become one of the representative arts of the area, and is performed every year at the Snow Festival held in February, too.

Iiyama is not preserved under the Important Preservation District for Collective Traditional Buildings, but it still retains its old-fashioned townscape. There is also no shortage of cycling and hiking trails in the area. There are also hot springs nearby.

Date: 31st, July and 1st, August (Nafune festival)
Location: Nafune town, Wajima city, Ishikawa prefecture
Access: About 1 hour by airplane from Haneda (Tokyo) to Noto Satoyama airport
or It takes 1 hour by JR Nanao line from Kanazawa to Wakura Onsen, and 40 minutes by Noto line to Anamizu

Since they are a popular group, they are invited to various events. However, one of the most prestigious and nerve-wracking events for them is a performance at the local Nafune Grand Festival.
This is a small village with only about 200 residents. More than 10,000 people gather for the festival. Even those who have left the village come back only for the festival.

At the Nafune Grand Festival, many people come to see the Gojinjo-daiko. On the first day of the festival, from around 9:00 p.m., a large number of people carrying kirikos pass through the shrine and head for the sea. Then the drums are performed. After that, people continue to enjoy late into the night. The next day, the festival starts in the afternoon.

Even if you can’t see it on this day, there are still many opportunities to see the Gojinjo-daiko. The easiest way is to go to the Wajima Kiriko Museum, where the Kirikos are displayed, and performances are held every day at a certain time. There are also other opportunities to see the performance at some hotels.

Summer in Noto is the summer of the Kiriko Festival. And Kanazawa, a popular tourist destination, is nearby. And of course, there are hot springs.