Shikasanmai Dance Procession

The Shikasanmai Dance Procession, handed down in the Kafuka district of Rebun Island, is a traditional procession that leads the at the annual grand festival of Itsukushima Shrine. A dance with bows and swords, based on Matsumae , has been passed down, and adults and children from the local community support the festival.

About Shikasanmai Dance Procession

The Shikasanmai Dance Procession is a traditional procession that leads the mikoshi at the annual grand festival of Itsukushima Shrine in the Kafuka district of southern Rebun Island.

The procession is based on Shikasanmai-mai, one of the Matsumae Kagura dances, and has been passed down with dancers carrying bows, swords and other items.

This is a festival rooted in the local community, with adults and children from the Kafuka district serving as volunteers.

Source: 北海道新聞旭川支社

Festival highlights

The highlight is Shikasanmai-mai, performed before the mikoshi procession, in which four Shinto priests dance carrying bows, swords and other items.

The festival’s defining feature is not just the dance, but the entire procession as it leads the mikoshi through the Kafuka district.

Another distinctive aspect is that one of the Matsumae Kagura sequences has been passed down as a procession carried out through service to the local community.

A traditional dance with bows and swords, leading Kafuka’s mikoshi

What to expect

At the annual grand festival of Itsukushima Shrine, the mikoshi is carried in procession throughout the Kafuka district, led by the Shikasanmai Dance Procession.

The procession features a traditional performance in which four Shinto priests dance carrying bows, swords and other items.

Upper-grade elementary school students on Rebun Island also join the procession, with adults and children together supporting the local festival.

How to take part

The procession includes upper-grade elementary school students from Rebun Island.

In the past, participation was limited to children from around the shrine and to boys. Today, girls and children from a wider area also take part following school consolidations.

No information has been provided about recruiting members of the general public to take part or whether spectators can join the procession.

Location and access

Venue and address: The mikoshi procession and parade take place throughout the Kafuka district, starting at Itsukushima Shrine.

Event venue 北海道礼文町厳島神社

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

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Dates and season

Season: Every year on July 15
Frequency: Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

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 Hokkaido / Rebun Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)

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Origins and History of Shikasanmai Dance Procession

Shikasanmai-mai is one of the 23 sequences of Matsumae Kagura, a performance in which four Shinto priests dance carrying bows and swords.

It is said to have become a procession in the Edo period, when subjects of the Matsumae domain took part, and to have taken its present form around the middle of the Meiji period.

Later, in the early Showa period, the chief priest of Itsukushima Shrine brought it to Rebun Island, where it has been passed down as the procession seen today.