Sanyare Odori of Southern Omi

Festival highlights

One highlight is watching children dressed in flower hats, brightly colored sashes and patterned yukata play percussion instruments as they dance.

The procession of dancers travels through the district in formations such as two-column lines, stopping to dance at designated places, including homes, otabisho (temporary festival sites) and shrines.

The accompaniment, with performers responding “Sanyare, Sanyare” to a song that repeats short verses, also creates a distinctive rhythm.

It is also enjoyable to see how costumes and dance styles differ from one area to another.

Source: 草津のサンヤレ踊り - 草津市観光物産協会

A festival of Southern Omi, brought to life by colorful costumes and musical chants

What to expect

At the festival, children carrying instruments, song leaders and dancers form a procession and dance at various places as they walk through the district.

Drums, shoko gongs, flutes, kakko drums, sasara and other instruments are played together, while dancers perform movements such as leaping, turning and changing their steps.

In the Shimokasa area, the event consists of “nerikomi,” the procession toward the dance venue, followed by the “dance,” performed after the formation is arranged.

The song leader sings, and those around them respond with musical accompaniment.

How to take part

Visitors can watch the event.

Location and access

Venue and address

The dances are held in the Yagura, Shimokasa, Kataoka, Nagatsuka, Shina, Yoshida and Shinacho areas of Kusatsu City, and in Shimotoyama, Ritto City.

The main venues in Kusatsu City are Wakamiya Hachiman-gu Shrine, Osugi Shrine, Inkishiro Shrine, Shina Shrine, Sandaijin Shrine and Sosha Shrine.

Train and bus

For venues in Kusatsu City, the stated route is to get off at Kusatsu Station on the JR Biwako Line.

Source: 草津のサンヤレ踊り(矢倉・下笠・片岡・長束・志那・吉田・志那中) | JAPAN SHIGA Tourism Official Website - SHIGA BIWAKO

Event venue 滋賀県草津市、栗東市 草津市内7地域および栗東市下戸山

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

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Dates and season

2026 Event Information (The listed dates have passed)

In 2026, the Sanyare Odori dances in Kusatsu were held on May 3, and a related dance passed down at Otsuki Shrine in Ritto was performed on May 5.

The dances take place in several areas of Kusatsu, but the Yagura district holds them every other year, while the Nagatsuka district holds them once every 3 years.

Since whether an event is held and its venue vary by area, check the details for each district when choosing where to visit.

Source: 近江湖南のサンヤレ踊り、芦浦観音寺一般公開｜草津市

Tips for your visit

The events are not held at a single venue; they are spread across several districts and shrines.

The dance procession travels through each district, so it is important to decide in advance which area you want to see and watch without obstructing the proceedings or viewing areas.

It has been reported that many spectators visited Shimogasa in 2026.

Please show respect for this performing art, passed down through shrine festivals, and for the dancers and local community as you watch.

Origins and History of Sanyare Odori of Southern Omi

The origins of Sanyare Odori are unclear, but it is thought that a performing art popular in Kyoto in the late 17th century spread to southern Omi and was passed down as a festival art in early modern farming villages.

Records of festivals in Shinacho and Shimokasa, dance costumes from Shimokasa, kakko drums from Yoshida, and jinbaori coats from Yagura, among other materials dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, have also been preserved.

It was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2020 and was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2022 as one of the “Furyu-odori” dances.

Official information

Kusatsu City introduces “Kusatsu no Sanyare Odori” as a folk performing art registered on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list as Sanyare Odori of Southern Omi.

Links are also available to official videos introducing the characteristics of the dances in each area of Kusatsu City.

Details of its designation as a cultural property and its distribution, including Shimotoyama in Ritto City, can be found in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.

Source: 「草津のサンヤレ踊り」は「近江湖南のサンヤレ踊り」としてユネスコ無形文化遺産に登録されています｜草津市

Sanyare Odori of Southern Omi at a Glance

Sanyare Odori of Southern Omi is a festival performing art passed down in Kusatsu City and Ritto City, featuring the distinctive accompaniment refrain “Sanyare.”

Children in colorful costumes play percussion instruments and form a procession that travels around the district, accompanied by adults leading the songs and providing musical accompaniment.

This Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property carries on prayers for protection from misfortune and a bountiful harvest. In Kusatsu City, performances are held mainly on May 3, and in Ritto City, on May 5.