Osugi no Zanzako Odori

Festival highlights

Highlights include the naka-odori dancer carrying a large fan 2 meters long on their back and the many soba-odori dancers surrounding them.

Dancers wear akaguma—long, red-dyed hair-like headpieces—so their faces are hidden and they look like demons.

The dancers’ powerful leaps in a circle to drumbeats and calls are a defining feature of Osugi Zanzako Odori.

Source: 大杉ざんざこ踊り | やぶ市観光協会 / まちの文化財（107） 大杉ざんざこ踊り／養父市

A Demon Dance passed down in Yabu, with the beat of drums and a giant fan

What to expect

In the dance, the shinpachi directs the performance, the naka-odori dancers take the center, and the soba-odori dancers form a circle around them.

The naka-odori and soba-odori dancers wear drums at their waists and dance while striking them with drumsticks.

Calls from singers and a transverse flute accompany the taiko dance as the dancers leap while maintaining their circle.

The performers consist of 1 shinpachi, 4 naka-odori dancers, soba-odori dancers, singers, and flute players.

How to take part

The dancers are made up of participants from households throughout the local community.

Centered on the side dancers, local people beat taiko drums as they dance in a circle.

If you wish to watch, please follow the on-site guidance in the shrine grounds so as not to disrupt the offering.

Location and access

Venue and address

Ninomiya Shrine (Osugi, Oya-cho, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture).

Train and bus

JR八鹿駅など養父市内への交通案内はあります。

By car

For Yabu City, the recommended exits are Yabu IC or Yoka-Hyonosen IC on the Kitakinki Toyooka Expressway.

Parking

Ninomiya Shrine has no dedicated parking lot; visitors are directed to use the parking lot at the Woodcarving Exhibition Hall.

Source: アクセス | やぶ市観光協会

Address Osugi, Oya-cho, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture

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Dates and season

The annual offering takes place on August 16.

As a performing art offered at Ninomiya Shrine, local dancers perform to the accompaniment of taiko drums, flutes and singing.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

The venue is the grounds of Ninomiya Shrine, where the dance is performed in a circle.

When watching, choose a spot that does not obstruct the dance circle or the ceremony, and follow the guidance at the site.

There is no dedicated parking lot near the shrine, so if you come by car, please use the parking lot at the Woodcarving Exhibition Hall, as directed.

Origins and History of Osugi no Zanzako Odori

According to tradition, the dance began when a local village headman learned it at Kasuga Taisha in Nara on his way back from a pilgrimage to Ise, then dedicated it to the local tutelary deity to ward off a disease called “Kagami” that was prevalent in the early Edo period.

In Osugi it is called “Zanzako Odori,” while in Wakasugi and Kuroka it is called “Zanzaka Odori.”

In the early Showa period, dances of the same type were also performed in Mitani and Mambadani in Yoka Town.

Official information

For an overview of the cultural property, see the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.

Information on the venue, the annual dedication date, and parking is available on the Yabu City Tourism Association’s “Osugi Zanzako Odori” page.

Yabu City’s cultural property information provides details about the dance’s formation and the spoken rhythms accompanying the drums.

Osugi no Zanzako Odori at a Glance

Osugi no Zanzako Odori is a taiko dance dedicated to Ninomiya Shrine, with dancers joining from households throughout the community.

The naka-odori dancers carry a large fan on their backs, while the soba-odori dancers, their faces covered by akaguma, form a circle and leap to the drums, calls, and flute.

The annual dedication takes place on August 16 at Ninomiya Shrine in Osugi, Oya-cho, Yabu City.

If you come by car, there is no dedicated parking lot, so use the parking lot at the Woodcarving Exhibition Hall.