A Nosaka shrine ceremony praying for an abundant harvest through rice-paddy preparation and rice-planting dances
Nosaka Danose Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year
- Location
- Nosaka Shrine
- Area
- Fukui Prefecture・Tsuruga City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 50 min–3 h 20 min · 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
At the Nosaka Danose Festival, a drum represents a rice paddy, while wooden sticks and cedar branches are used to depict rice-growing tasks. Dances and chants passed down since the Muromachi period offer prayers for an abundant harvest.
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: TR15336300101 File:Danose-Matsuri Tauchi.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: TR15336300101 File:Danose-Matsuri Taue.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: TR15336300101 File:Danose-Matsuri Eburisashi.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.About Nosaka Danose Festival
The Nosaka Danose Festival is a traditional event held in Nosaka, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, to pray for an abundant harvest.
The event depicts rice-growing tasks such as preparing the fields and planting rice through dance, and is dedicated at Nosaka Shrine.
This event, passed down by children and adults in the district, is also designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the prefecture.
Source: 野坂だのせ祭り - Wikipedia / 文化財詳細 | 福井県文化財ページ
Festival highlights
A highlight is the scene in which dancers dressed in navy suō robes surround a large drum and powerfully portray the movements of rice cultivation.
In the rice-paddy preparation dance, wooden sticks represent hoes; in the rice-planting dance, cedar branches represent seedlings.
The event also features the lucky man scattering seeds and the custom of lifting an audience member into the air as the “lucky one.”
Source: 今から見られる伝統行事を見に行こう！【2月編】 | 歳事トピックス | 福井のイベント(祭り・文化・観光)情報をご紹介 | ふくい四季のしあわせ綴り
A Nosaka shrine ceremony praying for an abundant harvest through rice-paddy preparation and rice-planting dances
What to expect
In the morning, a prayer ceremony, the Manzairaku ceremony, and the handing-over ceremony are held at Nosaka Shrine. The Danose ceremony is dedicated in the afternoon.
In the rice-paddy preparation dance, the drum represents a field being cultivated; in the rice-planting dance, performers act out planting cedar branches as seedlings.
6 children and 6 adults take turns dancing, and the dances are dedicated 6 times in total.
How to take part
Visitors can watch the event.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Nosaka Shrine (30-7 Nosaka, Tsuruga City).
- Train and bus
It is about a 15-minute walk from Awano Station on the JR Obama Line to Nosaka Shrine.
From JR Tsuruga Station, take the Kanayama Line for about 41–47 minutes, get off at the Nosakaguchi bus stop, then walk about 5 minutes.
- By car
About 20 minutes from Tsuruga IC on the Hokuriku Expressway.
A taxi from JR Tsuruga Station takes about 25 minutes.
Source: だのせ祭り〈2月〉 - 旅する港町つるが 敦賀観光公式サイト
Address 30-7 Nosaka, Tsuruga City
Dates and season
- 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 Fukui Prefecture / Tsuruga City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The ceremonies are divided between morning and afternoon, and some information indicates that they take place at both Nosaka Shrine and Nosaka Community Hall.
When viewing, please follow the on-site guidance so you do not interfere with the ceremony or the dancers.
As there are differing accounts of when the event is held, be sure to check the schedule before visiting.
Nearby attractions
みなとつるが山車会館
福井県敦賀市にある博物館
人道の港敦賀ムゼウム
福井県敦賀市にある資料館
敦賀市立博物館
福井県敦賀市にある博物館
旧敦賀港駅舎
福井県敦賀市にある建築物
氣比神宮
福井県敦賀市にある神社
紙わらべ資料館
福井県敦賀市にある、高木栄子の和紙人形を展示する美術館
金ヶ崎緑地
福井県敦賀市にある海浜公園
Kanegasaki Shrine
福井県敦賀市にある神社
Origins and History of Nosaka Danose Festival
The Nosaka Danose Festival is said to date back to the Muromachi period and is a New Year’s event praying for a good harvest.
“Danose” is said to derive from “田之生” or “田主.”
The dance depicts the traditional work of rice cultivation, from preparing the fields to planting rice, and is passed down by local preservation groups and residents.
Official information
敦賀観光公式サイトの「だのせ祭り〈2月〉」案内：だのせ祭り〈2月〉 - 旅する港町つるが 敦賀観光公式サイト
Nosaka Danose Festival at a Glance
The Nosaka Danose Festival is a traditional event in Nosaka, Tsuruga City, where dances reenacting field preparation and rice planting express prayers for an abundant harvest.
Highlights include movements associated with rice cultivation, such as dancers in suō robes, drums, cedar branches, and the lucky man scattering seeds.
Centered on Nosaka Shrine, local children and adults continue to pass down the dedication.
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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