Oki Kokubunji Renge-e Mai

Festival highlights

The highlights are the masked dances and the music accompanying each scene.

Seven pieces are passed down, including “Nemuri-botoke,” “Shishi-mai,” “Ryuo,” and “Hotoke-mai.” Each dance uses a different mask, except for Taiheiraku.

De-gaku and nyu-gaku music is played as the dancers enter and leave, offering a chance to enjoy a ceremonial performance in which dance and music come together.

Source: 蓮華会舞 | 隠岐の宝物たち・ジオパークサイト一覧 | Oki Islands UNESCO Global Geopark

Seven Dances at Oki Kokubunji Temple That Evoke Ancient Times

What to expect

The event begins with a procession called “gyodo,” which winds its way along before the seven dances are offered.

Music is played for each dance, as the dancers’ movements, masks, and instrument sounds come together.

After the dances, “Iremai,” in which only music is performed, brings the offering to a close.

Location and access

Venue and address

Special Stage in the Grounds of Oki Kokubunji Temple (5 Furo-mae, Ikeda, Okinoshima Town)

By car

About 10 minutes by car from Saigo Port.

Parking

Available and free.

There is also free bicycle parking.

Source: 隠岐の島町（島後）の年間イベントスケジュール | コラム | モデルコース・コラム | 隠岐の島旅【公式】 / 隠岐国分寺蓮華会舞 | しまね観光ナビ｜島根県公式観光情報サイト

Address 5 Furo-mae, Ikeda, Okinoshima Town

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)

The 2026 event is scheduled for April 21.

Oki Kokubunji Renge-e Mai is held every year on April 21, a date said to mark the anniversary of Kobo Daishi’s death.

Depending on the year, it is held as either the main festival or the alternate festival. At the main festival, all the dances are performed; at the alternate festival, only “Sleeping Buddha” is performed.

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Nearby attractions

Nearby attractions include Oki Kokubunji Temple, Tokage-iwa Rock, and Oki Global Geopark Airport.

Oki Kokubunji Temple is the very venue for Renge-e Mai, and related materials are on display at Renge-e-no-Yakata.

You can visit places connected with Oki’s history and nature alongside watching the performance.

Museums and art museumsOkinoshima Town

隠岐郷土館

島根県隠岐の島町にある博物館

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写真：Saigen Jiro / CC0

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Facility data source

Attractions in the same municipality. Check each attraction’s official website for travel distances from the venue and current opening information.

Origins and History of Oki Kokubunji Renge-e Mai

Oki Kokubunji Renge-e Mai is considered a traditional performing art that retains forms similar to bugaku and silent masked drama introduced from the continent between the Nara and Heian periods.

It also preserves a lineage of masks with roots in China, Southeast Asia, and India, and some dances retain traces of ancient gigaku.

It is said that 120 dances were once performed as offerings; today, seven pieces are passed down.

Official information

Basic information about the cultural property can be found in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.

The event date and directions to the venue are listed on the Shimane Tourism Navi and in the cultural property guide from Okinoshima Town.

Oki Kokubunji Renge-e Mai at a Glance

Oki Kokubunji Renge-e Mai is a traditional performing art featuring seven dances accompanied by music, offered at Oki Kokubunji Temple every year on April 21.

Highlights include masked dances, processions, and music performed for each dance, conveying the character of ancient bugaku and masked drama.

The venue is a special stage in the grounds of Oki Kokubunji Temple in Ikeda, Okinoshima Town, about 10 minutes by car from Saigo Port.