Dedicating Yakko-furi and stick dancing to carry on prayers for the rice-planting season
Performances associated with the Otaue Festival at Nitta Shrine
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year June, the Sunday before the start of the rainy season / Every year
- Location
- Nitta Shrine, Uke-mochi Shrine, the sacred rice field, and other locations
- Area
- Kagoshima Prefecture・Satsumasendai 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Otaue Festival at Nitta Shrine in Satsumasendai City is a traditional event praying for an abundant harvest of the five grains through rice planting before the deities and local Yakko Dance and stick dancing. The festival is enlivened by performers twirling large yakko poles and dancers striking their sticks together.
About Performances associated with the Otaue Festival at Nitta Shrine
Nitta Shrine’s Otaue Festival is a rite in which rice is planted before the deities to pray for a good rice harvest.
At the festival, performances are dedicated, including Yakko-furi, which is associated with the Otaue Festival, and stick dancing passed down in the local community.
The event expresses gratitude to the deity of the rice fields and wishes for a good harvest, while conveying the agricultural culture of Satsumasendai City and the bonds within the community.
Source: 年中御祭儀・行事 | 薩摩国 一の宮 新田神社 / 【まちナビ・コラム】 第16回 初夏の田植えに願いを込めて―御田植祭と受け継がれる稲の物語／薩摩川内市
Festival highlights
The Yakko Dance, in which performers twirl large yakko poles, is a distinctive performance featuring dancers in sedge hats and coats who spin the poles every few minutes.
In stick dancing, young people raise and swing down 3-shaku sticks, striking them against one another.
Highlights also include the way the event brings together ritual and local performing arts, with a rice-planting procession, performances at the sacred rice field, and performances at the mountaintop shrine building.
Source: 新田神社/御田植祭 | 鹿児島県神社庁
Dedicating Yakko-furi and stick dancing to carry on prayers for the rice-planting season
What to expect
After the Main Shrine Ceremony and the Uke-mochi Shrine Ceremony, a procession carrying rice seedlings proceeds to the sacred rice field.
At the sacred rice field, the chief priest, hayao, and saotome plant rice, while Yakko-furi from Kurano and Miyauchi is performed alongside them.
In the afternoon, local performing arts and dances are dedicated at the mountaintop shrine building, and stick dancing is also performed before the deities at Nitta Shrine.
How to take part
The dedicated performances are passed down by local preservation societies, community members, children, and young people.
Stick dancing is carried on by the Yorita Stick Dance Preservation Society and performed by young people from the Yorita district, including children from Yorita Elementary School.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Nitta Shrine (1935-2 Miyauchi-cho, Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture).
The Main Shrine Ceremony is held at the mountaintop shrine building, while rice planting and some of the dedicated events take place at Uke-mochi Shrine, the sacred rice field, and other locations at the foot of Mount Shinki.
- By car
It is about 7 minutes by car from Sendai Station.
Address 1935-2 Miyauchi-cho, Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Dates and season
The Otaue Festival is held each year on the Sunday before the start of the rainy season.
As the specific times for the shrine ritual, rice planting, yakko dancing, stick dancing, and other events vary by year, please check the information for the year you plan to attend.
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 Kagoshima Prefecture / Satsumasendai City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
Events take place at several locations, including the mountaintop shrine building, Uke-mochi Shrine at the foot of the mountain, and the sacred rice field.
Nitta Shrine stands at the summit of Mount Shinki, and reaching its grounds involves climbing 322 stone steps.
Since the rice planting and dedicated performances take place at different locations and times, visitors need to plan for travel between them.
Nearby attractions
Nitta Shrine stands at the summit of Mount Shinki, and nearby at its foot is the Sendai River, described as a clear-flowing stream.
The natural surroundings and scenery associated with the festival are also highlights, including the stone steps leading to the and an ancient camphor tree symbolizing the sacred grove.
The Otaue Festival visits the mountaintop shrine building and the sacred rice field at the foot of the mountain, allowing visitors to experience the surroundings of Mount Shinki as they watch.
新田神社
鹿児島県薩摩川内市にある神社
写真：ja:User:MK Products upload by Sakoppi / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·
薩摩川内市せんだい宇宙館
鹿児島県薩摩川内市にある科学展示館、天文台
Origins and History of Performances associated with the Otaue Festival at Nitta Shrine
A legend about the origins of the Otaue Festival tells of a time when poor harvests brought hardship. An elderly farmer is said to have volunteered to plant rice in the sacred rice field, waving a yakko pole and praying for a good harvest; the crop then yielded well.
It is said that people from the Miyauchi district later began dedicating dances as well.
In 1963, Yakko-furi was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Kagoshima Prefecture as a performance associated with the Otaue Festival. Stick dancing has also been passed down as an intangible folk cultural property of the prefecture.
Official information
Nitta Shrine’s official website lists the Otaue Festival among its annual events.
The origins of the festival and the dedication of Yakko-furi are also covered in detail in the Kagoshima Prefectural Shrine Association’s introduction to Nitta Shrine.
Performances associated with the Otaue Festival at Nitta Shrine at a Glance
Nitta Shrine’s Otaue Festival is an event that conveys wishes for a good harvest through rice-planting rites and local performing arts such as the Yakko Dance and stick dancing.
It is known for Yakko-furi, in which performers twirl large yakko poles, and vigorous dancing in which performers strike their sticks together.
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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