Kuchinoshima Bon Odori

Festival highlights

Highlights include the kyogen performed after the children’s small dances and the opening dance by men.

Kyogen consists of story-based scenes numbered 1 through 3. At Tonchi, the kyogen features a villain, while at Tera, humorous tales are added.

The event comprises five performances, with dance, dialogue, and gestures passed down together as one tradition.

Kuchinoshima’s Obon event, where oral dance and kyogen pass the island’s prayers down to the present

What to expect

Practice takes place at the community center on the evening of day 7 of lunar month 7, and the performances are offered at Tonchi (the site of the former residence) and Tera (the cemetery).

The preservation society, led by the neighborhood association and centered on the youth group, assigns roles, and teachers also join the practice.

Because it is passed down orally, instructors demonstrate the dances and teach the lines one by one as participants learn each performance.

How to take part

By custom, men perform the Bon Odori, while elementary school students and younger take part in the small dances.

Children of students who come to the island to study and children of Kuchinoshima natives who return home for Obon sometimes take part.

Women support the event behind the scenes by preparing meals, drinks, and yukata, and providing calls of encouragement.

The preservation society, led by the neighborhood association, assigns roles, and the youth group takes the lead in practicing for the performance.

Teachers also participate, and the neighborhood association chair instructs children’s small dances for elementary school students and younger.

Information about registration, application procedures, or fees for general visitors is not provided.

Location and access

Venue and address

トンチ（殿地）及びテラ（墓地）／練習：コミュニティーセンター

Event venue 鹿児島県十島村 トンチ及びテラ

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

Open in Google Maps

Dates and season

Season

Every year on August 15

Frequency

Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Origins and History of Kuchinoshima Bon Odori

Kuchinoshima Bon Odori has been passed down orally for more than 200 years.

The dances, which include dialogue and gestures, are preserved through repeated practice by participants.

It is considered an important event among the island’s unique festivals, and accounts explain that it is performed almost exclusively at this time of year as an offering to the island’s deities.

Official information

The Kagoshima Prefectural Board of Education’s materials feature the efforts of Toshima Village Kuchinoshima Elementary and Junior High School to pass down “Kuchinoshima Bon Odori and Kyogen.”

Kuchinoshima Bon Odori and kyogen are also featured in the Cabinet Office’s guide to festivals and events on remote border islands.

Source: 国境離島の祭・イベント（５）ー１:海洋政策 - 内閣府

Kuchinoshima Bon Odori at a Glance

Kuchinoshima Bon Odori is an offering ceremony that has been passed down orally for more than 200 years.

It comprises children’s small dances, an opening dance performed by men, and story-based kyogen, with different scenes performed at Tonchi and Tera.

The neighborhood association, youth group, and school staff support practice and passing on the tradition.