Dashi at the Kawai Shrine Summer Festival

A summer festival at Kawai Shrine in Yuyama, Kibichuo Town, where young people from each district display handmade life-size dolls on a “tana” and offer them to the kami.

About Dashi at the Kawai Shrine Summer Festival

The at the Kawai Shrine Summer Festival is an event held as part of the summer festival at Kawai Shrine in Yuyama, Kibichuo Town.

Praying for protection from epidemics and a bountiful harvest, young men from each district put up small structures in the shrine grounds and display life-size dolls on a temporary stage called a “tana,” offering them to the kami.

The dashi at the Kawai Shrine Summer Festival has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture.

Festival highlights

The highlights are the life-size dolls offered by each district and the “tana” on which they are displayed.

The dolls are made using paper, bamboo, paulownia wood, and straw. Many are said to be kabuki-style figures depicting scenes from plays, stories, or myths.

One distinctive feature is that the districts compete to make the most impressive dolls; fireworks are also set off toward the end of the festival.

A summer festival in Yuyama, brought to life by life-size “tana” displays

What to expect

At the festival, young men from the districts that worship at Kawai Shrine each put up a small structure and display life-size dolls on a temporary stage called a “tana,” offering them to the kami.

The dolls are made from materials such as paper, bamboo, paulownia wood, and straw, and depict figures from stories and other subjects in a kabuki style.

Visitors can compare the dashi from each district, and fireworks are set off toward the end of the festival.

Location and access

Venue and address: Kawai Shrine grounds, Yuyama, Kibichuo Town
By car: 10 minutes by car from Kayo IC on the Okayama Expressway

トイレ：下竹荘公民館でも使用可

Address Yuyama, Kibichuo Town

Travel by taxi PRFind a taxi or private transfer for your journey.Find a taxi on Kiwitaxi Long-distance buses are another option PRFind routes and fares from your departure point to your destination.Find highway buses on Rakuten Travel

Dates and season

Season: Every year, August 23
Frequency: Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

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 Okayama Prefecture / Kibichuo Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)

Supported by Rakuten Developers

Origins and History of Dashi at the Kawai Shrine Summer Festival

The dashi at the Kawai Shrine Summer Festival is treated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property designated by Okayama Prefecture.

The record states that it was designated in Showa 30, July 19.

The festival is described as an event in which young men from the districts that worship at Kawai Shrine make dolls, display them on a “tana,” and offer them to the kami.

Official information

The Okayama Prefectural Cultural Properties Division’s materials on prefecturally designated cultural properties list the location, details, access, and public viewing status of the dashi at the Kawai Shrine Summer Festival.

Kibichuo Town Board of Education and Kawai Shrine are listed as contacts for inquiries.