Medieval-inspired dances and performing arts passed down in Fukura
Fukura Ennen
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year May 8 / Every year
- Location
- Fukura Kuchinomiya
- Area
- Yamagata Prefecture・Yuza 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.
- Highlights and activities
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Fukura Ennen, passed down in Fukura, Yuza Town, Yamagata Prefecture, is a folk performing art staged at the annual grand festival of Fukura Kuchinomiya. Dances such as Hanagasa-mai and Daisho-no-mai, reminiscent of and , have been passed down.
About Fukura Ennen
Fukura Ennen is a folk performing art passed down at the annual grand festival of Fukura Kuchinomiya in Fukura, Yuza Town, Yamagata Prefecture.
Performances reminiscent of dengaku and bugaku are offered, preserving the form of medieval ennen arts to this day.
Some elements of ennen, said to have once been performed at a jingūji temple, have been passed down by local residents.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
Festival highlights
Highlights include distinctive dances such as Hanagasa-mai, Daisho-no-mai, and the dance of the two deities, Izanagi and Izanami.
Performances reminiscent of dengaku and bugaku are staged during the annual grand festival, evoking the old form of ennen.
The performances also reflect a history in which yamabushi from one mountain and its 28 temple lodgings once carried on the tradition.
Medieval-inspired dances and performing arts passed down in Fukura
What to expect
Fukura Ennen is performed in conjunction with the annual grand festival at Fukura Kuchinomiya.
The program features dances such as Hanagasa-mai, Daisho-no-mai, and the dance of the two deities, Izanagi and Izanami, offering a taste of performing arts connected to dengaku and bugaku.
Today, local residents carry on the tradition, which continues as a devotional performance rooted in the community.
Location and access
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- Train and bus
It takes about 6 minutes to travel from Yuza Station to Fukura Station on the JR Uetsu Main Line.
- By car
It takes about 40 minutes by car from Shonai Airport to Yuza.
Source: 交通アクセス | 遊佐鳥海観光協会
Event venue 山形県遊佐町 吹浦口の宮
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
It is usually held on May 8, in conjunction with the grand annual festival at Fukura-guchi no Miya.
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 / Yuza Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
鳥海山大物忌神社
山形県飽海郡遊佐町にある神社
写真：ChiefHira / CC BY-SA 3.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Fukura Ennen
Ennen is a form of performing art that flourished from the late Heian period through the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.
The term collectively refers to arts such as bugaku, dengaku, sarugaku, and furyū, performed after Buddhist services at temples. They gradually fell out of practice after the Muromachi period.
In Fukura, tradition was once carried on by yamabushi from one mountain and its 28 temple lodgings; today, local residents continue it.
Official information
The Database of National Cultural Properties introduces Fukura Ennen as an “intangible folk cultural property requiring measures such as the creation of records.”
The selection date is February 2, 1991, and the preservation group is the Fukura Dengaku Preservation Society.
Fukura Ennen at a Glance
Fukura Ennen is a traditional performing art staged in conjunction with the annual grand festival at Fukura Kuchinomiya in Fukura, Yuza Town.
Highlights include dances such as Hanagasa-mai, Daisho-no-mai, and the dance of the two deities, Izanagi and Izanami, reminiscent of dengaku and bugaku.
You can discover the local form of ennen passed down from yamabushi to the people of the district.
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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