Location: Kita-Fukuda, Yurihonjo City Site(s) of performance: Shinmei Shrine and Chōkokuji Temple Date(s): August 22 (no longer practiced at the time of survey in fiscal year 2011) Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū Shagiri originated in the practice of shugendo ascetics playing music on the mountains to avoid encounters with wild animals, which …
Location: Kaizawa, Fushimi, Chokai-machi, Yurihonjo City Site(s) of performance: Anywhere Date(s): Anytime Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū Karausu-Karami is a dance of four dancers around an empty rice cake mortar (karausu). The four dancers hold karami sticks, poke the sticks into the mortar as if making rice cake, touch the edge of …
Location: Tenjin, Kami-Jinego, Chokai-machi, Yurihonjo City Site(s) of performance: Gassan Shrine Date(s): 1st Saturday of September Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū In the first half of the 20th century, when Satō Yoshinobu of the community of Jinego-Tenjin visited Innai Silver Mine (in the former Ogachi Town), a traveling troupe from Shikoku showed …
Location: Tonami, Masuda-machi, Yokote City Site(s) of performance: Tonami Shrine and the open space in front of the Tonami Annex of Masuda Community Center Date(s): May 5 (the annual Tonami Festival) and August 14 Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū The community of Tonami practices every year what they call Gion Bayashi (Gion …
Location: Gomihori, Kita-Akita City Site(s) of performance: Tenshō-Kōtai Shrine Date(s): 2nd Sunday of September Category: Furyū This is a dance around a rice cake mortar. The dance music has counting-down lyrics. After the dance, very small rice cakes prepared in square wooden boxes are thrown to the audience in prayer for bumper crops and home …
Location: Kamite-Toda, Osawa, Yokote City Site(s) of performance: Asahiokayama Shrine Date(s): August 9 and 10 Category: Furyū This is an impromptu song (kakeuta) event where participants invent and sing impromptu songs one after another. This event starts at the Hour of the Ox (around 2am) and continues until early morning. That is the reason why …
Location: Shimo-Abukawa, Iitagawa, Katagami City Site(s) of performance: Shimo-Abukawa and the open space in front of the Iitagawa Office of Katagami City Date(s): May 5 (Shimo-Abukawa Shinmei Shrine’s annual festival) and 1st Sunday of August (Iitagawa White Heron Dance Festival) Category: Furyū The performance was (re)started in summer 1984 by a local youth group, based …
Location: Kami-Jinego, Chokai-machi, Yurihonjo City Site(s) of performance: Gassan Shrine and other places in the community Date(s): 1st Saturday of September Category: Furyū At the annual festival of the local shrine of Jinego, chests (nagamochi) are offered to the shrine with offerings in them. Nagamochi song is an a cappella song to be sung while …
Location: Komemachi, Rokugo, Misato Town Site(s) of performance: Kumano Shrine Date(s): August 23 Category: Furyū This is an impromptu song (kakeuta) event where participants invent and sing impromptu songs one after another all through the night. After the reconstruction of the prayer hall of Kumano Shrine in 1953, the event was started to celebrate its …
Location: Ishiwaki, Yurihonjo City Site(s) of performance: Shinzan Shrine and the community hall Date(s): 3rd Sunday of January and May 2 and 3 Category: Furyū This is a kind of celebratory song. It is always sung at rituals, on New Year’s day, and on other occasions of celebration. In the Edo era, there were frequent …