Classical bugaku of Takahata Town, handed down in a thatched-roof pavilion
Ankutsu Ennen
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The Sunday closest to September 15 every year / Every year
- Location
- Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine Pavilion
- Area
- Yamagata Prefecture・Takahata Town(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 h · bullet train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Ankutsu Ennen features adults and children performing classical bugaku on the thatched-roof bugaku pavilion. Held at Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine in Takahata Town, it offers a glimpse into the region’s history and performing arts.
About Ankutsu Ennen
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Suz-b File:Akutsu Hachiman Jinja bugakuden in Takahata, Yamagata.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Ankutsu Ennen is a bugaku performance handed down as part of the annual festival of Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine.
Adults and children perform pieces such as Fureboshiki, Santai Mai, Haibai, and Choboraku, keeping the ancient art of ennen alive today.
This event offers a chance to learn about the evolution of performing arts since the medieval period and the local culture rooted in Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the classical bugaku performed in the thatched-roof pavilion by the approach to the shrine.
Pieces handed down over the years include Fureboshiki, Santai Mai, Haibai, and Choboraku, as well as Hebitori Mai and Ubamai.
The bugaku pavilion itself is also said to date from the late Muromachi period, making it possible to appreciate the performing arts and a historic building together.
Source: 山形の文化財検索サイト「山形の宝 検索navi」 / 「安久津八幡」 〜千年の夢をつなぐ〜 | 未来に伝える山形の宝
Classical bugaku of Takahata Town, handed down in a thatched-roof pavilion
What to expect
The event is held alongside the annual festival of Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine, with several dances performed in sequence in the bugaku pavilion.
Adults and children take part, performing pieces handed down through the generations, including Fureboshiki, Santai Mai, Haibai, and Choboraku.
The prefectural guide lists 7 pieces still performed today, including Hebitori Mai, Ubamai, and Taiheiraku.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The bugaku pavilion at Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine (2011 Ankutsu, Takahata, Higashiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture).
- Train and bus
It is a 10-minute drive from Takahata Station on the JR Ou Main Line.
- By car
It is a 10-minute drive from Takahata Station.
For travel by car to Takahata Town, the drive from Nanyo-Takahata IC is listed as approximately 10 minutes.
Source: 交通アクセス - 高畠町について - 高畠町ホームページ（総務課）
Address 2011 Ankutsu, Takahata, Higashiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
The Sunday closest to September 15 every year
- Frequency
Every year
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Yamagata Prefecture / Takahata Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
The grounds of Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine include a three-story pagoda, bugaku pavilion, and main hall designated as prefectural cultural properties. A bell tower and the remains of a archery ground are also preserved.
Ankutsu Kofun Cluster burial mounds are scattered across the hills behind the shrine, and the surrounding area has been developed as a history park.
To the east is a local history museum, and the “Ukitamu Fudoki no Oka,” centered on the Prefectural Archaeological Museum, is also introduced as a nearby cultural facility.
Source: 安久津八幡神社 - 高畠町ホームページ（社会教育課）
まほろば・童話の里 浜田広介記念館
山形県高畠町にある記念館
写真：Suz-b / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Ankutsu Ennen
Ennen is a general term for performing arts staged at temples and elsewhere from the late Heian period through the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. It included bugaku, , sarugaku, and furyu.
Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine traces its origins to the construction of an Amida Hall in the 9th century. According to local tradition, Minamoto no Yoshiie also enshrined a deity from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine here.
Ankutsu Ennen was passed down through a line of shrine priests, with the tradition inherited by a preservation society; 7 pieces are still handed down today.
Official information
Information about Ankutsu Ennen and its venue can be found in the Takahata Town guide to Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine, Yamagata Prefecture’s cultural properties search site, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of National Cultural Properties.
Ankutsu Ennen at a Glance
Ankutsu Ennen is a bugaku event handed down at Ankutsu Hachiman Shrine in Takahata Town.
Adults and children perform several dances in the thatched-roof bugaku pavilion, offering a chance to experience both the art of ennen and the area’s historic landscape.
Some listings give the date as September 15, while others say it is the Sunday closest to September 15, so the 2026 date has not been confirmed.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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