Ashigara Sasara Odori

Festival highlights

Highlights include the binsasara and small drums played by the dancers, as well as movements that vary by performance.

There is the fan dance, performed with 2 fans; the hand-towel dance, which uses hand towels; the drum dance, performed while beating small drums; and the Marumaru dance, performed in a circle.

Another distinctive feature is the changing formations, including 2 facing rows, a single line, and a circle dance.

A furyu dance passed down in Minamiashigara, adorned with binsasara and fans

What to expect

Depending on the performance, dancers use different items, such as 2 fans, hand towels, binsasara, and small nenbutsu drums.

Singers perform to the sounds of sasara, small shime-daiko drums, and surigane gongs, while the dancers move to the melody.

Seven dances have been passed down, including performances danced in a line and others danced in a circle.

The matching yukata with sashes is also an important part of the dance.

Source: ささら踊り | 南足柄市文化財

Location and access

Venue and address

The grounds of the jinja in each of the communities of Sekimoto, Fukusen, Amatsubo, Saruyama, Iizawa, Kano, and Nakanuma in Minamiashigara City.

Event venue 神奈川県南足柄市 南足柄市内の関本

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

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Dates and season

Season

Bon period

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Origins and History of Ashigara Sasara Odori

Ashigara Sasara Odori is said to have originated in this area, where a post station was established during the Edo period, through the blending of Edo's Komachi Odori and Shinshu's Tanabata Odori.

The dance flourished from the Edo period through the mid-Meiji period, but opportunities to perform it declined after the late Meiji period due to a shortage of successors and other factors.

Around Showa 29, the women's association received instruction in the dances, songs, and instruments from elders and worked to preserve and pass them down.

Today, the preservation association passes it down by bringing together the dances from each district.

Official information

Minamiashigara City works to train successors through the Ashigara Sasara Odori Preservation Association and to pass down traditional performing arts.

For fiscal year 2026, a successor-training course for Ashigara Sasara Odori, to be held at the Minamiashigara City Women's Center, has been announced. Participation and observation are said to be open to people with no prior experience.

Inquiries are accepted by the city's Culture and Sports Division.

Source: 後継者育成講座(相模人形芝居・足柄ささら踊)の受講者を募集しています! | 南足柄市

Ashigara Sasara Odori at a Glance

Ashigara Sasara Odori is a Bon-period furyu dance passed down in several districts of Minamiashigara City.

Dancers use binsasara, small drums, fans, and hand towels to perform a variety of dances in lines and circles.

Women's associations and preservation groups have passed down dances from the Edo period, and preservation and transmission continue today as part of the local cultural heritage.