Omura’s tradition of huge flower rings and drums: Kuromaru Odori, a dance for good fortune
Kuromaru Odori
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year November 28 / Every year
- Area
- Nagasaki Prefecture・Omura City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 50 min–2 h 20 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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
Kuromaru Odori, passed down in Kuromaru-cho, Omura City, is a dynamic folk performing art featuring a giant flower ring, large drums, dancers, and musicians. The traditions of local celebration and prayer live on, as does the custom of praying for good fortune beneath the flower ring.
About Kuromaru Odori
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: kajikawa File:黒丸踊 - panoramio.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 kajikawa https://web.archive.org/web/20161024220232/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/77638900Display size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Kuromaru Odori is a folk performing art passed down in Kuromaru-cho, Omura City, Nagasaki Prefecture.
It has been dedicated at the Omura Shrine Grand Festival and other occasions in gratitude and prayer for a bountiful harvest.
Still preserved and passed down today as a dance associated with Hoyo, it is designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and is included in “Furyu-odori,” a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
A traditional performing art representative of Omura, it carries the region’s history and faith into the present.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース / 大村市／黒丸踊（くろまるおどり）
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the huge flower ring, 5 meters in diameter and weighing as much as 60 kilograms, with drums suspended from it.
The sight of 4 huge flower rings and 2 large flags slowly turning as the drums are beaten is both dynamic and uniquely colorful.
Child dancers dressed as samurai join in, along with musicians playing drums, shamisen, flute, and local drums, creating a performance that brings the flower rings and music together.
Omura’s tradition of huge flower rings and drums: Kuromaru Odori, a dance for good fortune
What to expect
The performance begins with “Iriha,” in which those carrying the huge flower rings and large flags take their places, followed by the dancers and musicians.
Next, “Koodori” and “Shamisen Odori” are performed. Finally, the performers beat the large drums while turning the flower ring and parade onward.
The flower ring is considered a yorishiro, and the custom of people passing beneath it to pray for good fortune is a unique part of Kuromaru Odori.
How to take part
Kuromaru Odori is a traditional performing art presented by the preservation society, dancers, and hayashi musicians.
There is also a local custom in which people of all ages pass beneath the flower rings to pray for good fortune. At the dedication, there may be opportunities to experience this custom, rather than simply watch the dancing.
Please check the event-day information to find out whether you can take part as a dancer and under what conditions visitors may pass beneath the flower rings.
Location and access
- Address
Omura City
Host municipality 長崎県大村市
This map shows the surrounding area, not the exact venue location.
Dates and season
- Season
Every year November 28
- 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 Nagasaki Prefecture / Omura City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Origins and History of Kuromaru Odori
Kuromaru Odori is a dance passed down in Kuromaru-cho, Omura City, since the Warring States period.
It is said that Hoyo, a rōnin from the Chugoku region, taught it to local people as a celebration when Ōmura Sumiyori returned home after regaining his domain.
It was originally dedicated at the Omura Shrine Grand Festival and other occasions, and has been passed down as a dance expressing gratitude and prayers for a bountiful harvest.
In 1973, it was selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which measures such as documentation should be undertaken. In 2022, it was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as part of “Furyu-odori.”
Official information
See Omura City’s official website page, “Kuromaru Odori (くろまるおどり),” for details about the dance, dedication locations, and its preservation and transmission.
Kuromaru Odori at a Glance
Kuromaru Odori is a traditional performing art passed down in Kuromaru-cho, Omura City, known for its enormous flower rings and large drums.
Dancers dressed as samurai and musicians join in, performing pieces such as “Iriha,” “Koodori,” and “Shamisen Odori,” before parading with the flower ring as it turns.
The custom of passing beneath the flower ring to pray for good fortune also reflects the faith and celebratory spirit rooted in the community.
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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