Shika Odori (Uwajima City)

This traditional art of Uwajima features eight dancers wearing deer masks, playing drums, and dancing as they sing. The Yatsushika Odori, passed down through the autumn festival at Uwatsuhiko Shrine, uses graceful movements to tell the story of a search for a doe.

About Shika Odori (Uwajima City)

Shika Odori is a folk performing art performed at shrine festivals around Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture.

At the rituals of Uwatsuhiko Shrine, it has been passed down as part of the festival procession, performed as an offering to the guardian shrine of Uwajima Domain.

A distinctive feature is the dancers wearing deer masks, holding drums against their chests, and dancing as they sing.

The Yatsushika Odori has been designated an intangible folk cultural property of Uwajima City.

Source: 市指定八ツ鹿踊り - 宇和島市ホームページ｜四国・愛媛伊達十万石の城下町

Festival highlights

A highlight is the graceful dance featuring a total of eight deer: seven males and one doe.

The dance tells the story of a doe hiding, the male deer searching for her, and their rejoicing when they find her.

Another distinctive feature is the sight of eight elementary school students dancing slowly as they sing a wistful melody.

Drumbeats, deer masks, and story-driven movements come together in the performance.

Uwajima’s graceful Yatsushika Odori, accompanied by deer masks and drums

What to expect

In the performance, dancers wear deer masks and cloth covering their upper bodies as they sing and dance while playing drums held against their chests.

The Yatsushika Odori progresses from searching for a doe to finding her and rejoicing together.

Eight dancers take the roles of seven male deer and one doe.

As part of the festival procession, they join the shrine’s events and perform this traditional art as an offering.

How to take part

必要人数：8人

Location and access

Venue and address: Uwatsuhiko Shrine (Nogawa, Uwajima City)

Event venue 愛媛県宇和島市宇和津彦神社

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

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Dates and season

At the festival of Uwatsuhiko Shrine, Yatsushika Odori is performed each year on October 29.

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写真：As6022014 / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Origins and History of Shika Odori (Uwajima City)

The Yatsushika Odori is said to have begun after Date Hidemune, the eldest son of Sendai domain lord Date Masamune and later lord of Uwajima Domain, arrived in the domain.

It is said to have appeared in the rituals of Uwatsuhiko Shrine around Keian 2, and it carries on a tradition dating back to the Edo period.

The number of deer has changed over time. After records of performances with five deer, the dance is now preserved with eight.

In 1974, it was designated an intangible folk cultural property of Uwajima City.

Official information

Uwajima City introduces the Yatsushika Odori as a city-designated intangible folk cultural property.

The Yatsushika Preservation Society is responsible for its preservation.

The City’s cultural property guide provides information on its place in festivals and as a cultural property, as well as the venue location.