Shiikago-mai

Festival highlights

The main highlight is the monkey performer’s acrobatics on the tall Tsugume pole at the center of the stage.

At the eve-of-festival event, the performer climbs partway up the pole. At the main festival, more daring stunts are performed, including hanging upside down and gripping a crossbar.

The masked lion, deer, and Manju dances are also performed to flute music, and a fan is dropped toward the audience at the end.

Tako’s summer dedication performance, combining masked dances and pole-top acrobatics

What to expect

On the special stage in front of Yasaka Jinja, the lion, deer, and Manju first appear to flute music, and each begins its dance.

After that, the monkey performer from the town responsible for that year appears on the stage and climbs the Tsugume pole.

On the 25th, the performer climbs partway up; on the 26th, the act includes feats atop the pole. The pole dance ends when a fan is dropped toward the audience.

How to take part

The performance is given by young people selected from the three ujiko neighborhoods of Yasaka Jinja.

We could not confirm any information about recruiting members of the general public as performers, so anyone wishing to participate should consult local representatives or the organizers in advance.

Visitors can watch the performance as audience members.

Location and access

Venue and address

Around Yasaka Jinja (near Tako 2696, Tako, Katori District).

Train and bus

Take the shuttle bus between Tako and Narita Airport from Airport Terminal 2 Station on the JR or Keisei Line, and get off at Tako Town Hall.

It is about a 5-minute walk to the venue.

By car

It is about 20 minutes from the Narita or Daiei IC on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway, and about 25 minutes from the Matsuo-Yokoshiba IC on the Ken-O Expressway.

Parking

The parking lot south of Tako Town Hall is available.

150 spaces; parking is listed as free.

Source: 多古祇園祭｜ちばトク！ - 千葉県のクーポンやイベント情報をお届け！

Address Near Tako 2696, Tako, Katori District

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the published dates have passed)

In 2026, the event was scheduled for July 25 (Saturday) and the 26th (Sunday), with Shiikago-mai listed as starting at 7 p.m. on both days.

The 25th is the eve-of-festival event and the 26th is the main festival; the pole performance differs between the two days.

The 2026 dates have already passed.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Origins and History of Shiikago-mai

The origins of Shiikago-mai are unclear, but the inscription on the box holding the monkey mask dates it to Tenmei 1 (1781), suggesting that the performance was already being held around the mid-Edo period.

It was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Chiba Prefecture in 1975, and the following year, 1976, it was selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which measures such as documentation should be undertaken by the national government.

It is considered to belong to the same tradition as tsuku-mai in Noda and Ryugasaki, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Official information

The “Shiikago-mai” information page on the official Tako Town website provides details on the event dates, venue, performance features, and transportation.

Information about its cultural-property designation and the sequence of the performance is also available from the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education.

公式案内：しいかご舞 | 多古町ウェブサイト↗

Shiikago-mai at a Glance

Shiikago-mai is a dedicated performing art passed down at Yasaka Jinja in Tako, combining masked dances with acrobatics atop a pole.

Highlights include the monkey performer’s Tsugume pole act at the main festival and the fan dropped at the end.

In 2026, the event was listed as scheduled for July 25 and the 26th, with the venue around Yasaka Jinja.