A prayer for a good harvest in Tosu, brought to life through rice-planting movements and a demon dance
Ota-mai of Shiaoya Shrine
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Sundays around October 20 each year / Every year
- Location
- Kuragami Oimatsu Shrine
- Area
- Saga Prefecture・Tosu City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 50 min–2 h 10 min · flight time only)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.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Required number of participants
- More than 30 male performers in total
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This traditional performing art takes place at Oimatsu Shrine in Kuraue-machi, Tosu City. It depicts rice-planting movements in dance and prays for a good harvest.
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Pekachu File:Oimatsu Shrine in Kuranoue-machi, Tosu main hall.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.About Ota-mai of Shiaoya Shrine
The Ota-mai of Shiaoya Shrine is an offering that portrays the work of rice planting as a performing art and prays for a good harvest.
It is now held at Oimatsu Shrine in the Kuragami district of Tosu City.
Passed down as a Saga Prefecture-designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, this valuable folk performance conveys the region’s farming culture and beliefs.
Source: 鳥栖市ホームページ - 県指定重要無形文化財 四阿屋神社の御田舞を紹介します / 佐賀県の歴史ある「伝統行事」特集 | 記事 | 【公式】佐賀県観光サイト あそぼーさが
Festival highlights
Highlights include performers portraying rice-planting movements on stage, such as field tilling, seed sowing, field treading, rice-field children, and a demon dance.
The performance continues with field tilling using a wooden hoe, the field-treading dance with a leveling pole, rice-field children dressed as saotome (young female rice planters), and a demon dance accompanied by hand drums and drums.
This is a time-honored offering in which farming movements and traditional performing arts come together.
A prayer for a good harvest in Tosu, brought to life through rice-planting movements and a demon dance
What to expect
The offering takes place on a temporary stage, with roles such as the leader, seated magistrate, announcer, seed sower, field treaders, rice-field children, field workers, demon, hand drum, and taiko drum.
The program proceeds in this order: announcement, leader, hand drum, field tilling, seed sowing, field tilling, field treading, and demon dance.
The full performance lasts about 40 minutes, with farming movements and dances performed to songs and taiko drums.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
How to take part
The performers who take part in the offering are assigned roles such as the leader, plowman, seed-sower, field-leveler, field child, demon, hand drummer, and taiko drummer. The group consists of more than 30 men in total.
No information is provided on whether members of the general public can take part as performers.
When watching, it is important to respect that this is a place for a religious rite and offering, and to watch quietly without obstructing the performance.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The offering is held at Kuragami Oimatsu Shrine in Kuragami-machi, Tosu City.
- Parking
Parking for visitors may not be available.
Address Kuragami-machi, Tosu City, Saga Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Sundays around October 20 each 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 Saga Prefecture / Tosu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The Ota-mai at Shioya Shrine is a traditional event offered as part of a religious rite.
Arrangements for visitors or the schedule may not go as planned, so please allow plenty of time for your visit.
Please take care not to interfere with the offering, for example by taking photos, and plan ahead in case parking or restrooms are not available.
Nearby attractions
中冨記念くすり博物館
佐賀県鳥栖市にある博物館
Origins and History of Ota-mai of Shiaoya Shrine
The Ota-mai of Shiaoya Shrine was once performed on April 1 as part of the Shinko Festival dedicated to Shiaoya Shrine.
Later, the Ota-mai became part of an autumn event and is now offered to coincide with the Okunchi festival at Kuragami Oimatsu Shrine.
It was designated a Saga Prefecture Important Intangible Cultural Property in Showa 34 March 20. In the national database, it is listed as an intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as compiling records should be undertaken, selected in Showa 51 December 25.
Official information
The Tosu City official website introduces the location, designation date, history, program, and performer roles on its page “Saga Prefecture-Designated Important Intangible Cultural Property: Introducing the Ota-mai of Shiaoya Shrine.”
Records of the cultural property can also be found in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.
Ota-mai of Shiaoya Shrine at a Glance
The Ota-mai of Shiaoya Shrine is a traditional event that turns the work of rice planting into a performing art. It is dedicated at Oimatsu Shrine in Kuragami-machi, Tosu City.
The performance lasts about 40 minutes and features a variety of farming-related movements, including tilling with a wooden hoe, sowing seeds, treading the field, rice-field children, and a demon dance.
It has been passed down locally as a Saga Prefecture-designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in prayer for a good harvest.
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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