Shimoina Kake Odori

Festival highlights

One highlight is watching dancers in yukata and hats move to music played on drums, flutes, and gongs.

A distinctive feature of Shimoguri is that the role of “Kojōrō,” who wears a sedge hat with long shide paper streamers, is performed by girls in elementary and junior high school.

The performance moves between the shrine’s dance pavilion, the shrine grounds, and the plaza below the shrine, so you can see different scenes at each location.

A regionally distinctive performing art that brings ritual and dance together.

A Shimoina dance that sends ancestral spirits and prayers on the beat of drums and gongs

What to expect

In Shimoguri, participants gather at the shrine at around 1 p.m., cleanse the shrine building, and prepare the ritual implements.

A ceremonial rite is held from around 2 p.m., followed by dancing from around 3 p.m., first at the dance pavilion, then on the shrine grounds, and finally in the plaza below the shrine.

After the performance, a sacred staff and flags are dedicated at the stone monument to Koyasu Sanja Daimyōjin, and sacred sake is offered. A naorai gathering is then held at the shrine.

That evening, Bon Odori is also held in the plaza in front of the community center.

Location and access

Venue and address

Shimo-Kuri, Kamimura, Iida City.

The Shimokuri Kake Odori is performed at the shrine buildings of Jūgosha Daimyōjin and in the surrounding area.

By car

1 hour 30 minutes by car from the Iida IC on the Chuo Expressway.

Event venue 長野県飯田市、阿南町、天龍村、泰阜村 飯田市上村下栗

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

Open in Google Maps

Dates and season

The Kake Odori of Shimoina is held every August, and in Shimo-Kuri, Kamimura, Iida City, it is usually held on August 15.

At the Shimokuri Kake Odori, shinji rituals and performances take place from the afternoon, followed by Bon Odori in the evening.

Source: 下伊那のかけ踊り | 南信州民俗芸能ナビ

Tips for your visit

If you drive to Shimoguri, take care to avoid tire punctures from falling rocks and running out of gas.

On narrow roads, give way to oncoming vehicles.

The dances take place at several locations, including the shrine, its grounds, and nearby plazas. Follow local guidance and watch quietly so as not to disrupt the rituals.

Origins and History of Shimoina Kake Odori

Kake Odori is an old form of dance performance said to have flourished from the Muromachi period through the early Edo period.

It is said that communities danced in turn, passing the dance from one settlement to another as they sent away evil spirits.

Shimoguri Kake Odori is an event that has continued since the Edo period, but its origins are unclear. Local traditions describe it as a prayer to the guardian deity of the community or a dance passed down by the Heike clan.

After a period of suspension and revival during the Showa era, it has been handed down in its present form.

Official information

The Iida City official website pages “Shimoina Kake Odori” and “Shimoguri Kake Odori” provide information on their cultural heritage status, location, activities, origins, and access.

Shimoina Kake Odori at a Glance

Shimoina Kake Odori is a folk performing art in which a procession moves to the beat of drums and gongs, sending away calamities and ancestral spirits.

In Shimoguri, Kamimura, Iida City, rituals and dances are performed with Jūgosha Daimyōjin at the center, and young women wearing sedge hats adorned with shide paper streamers also take part.

It is held annually on August 15, with an evening Bon Odori following the afternoon performance.

If you visit by car, watch out for falling rocks and narrow roads.