A stirring tale of battle and homecoming told by a procession of taiko and gong players
Takae Taiko Odori (a performance associated with the autumn festival at Minakata Shrine)
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Location
- Minakata Shrine
- Area
- Kagoshima Prefecture・Satsumasendai City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 50 min–2 h 20 min · flight time only)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Required number of participants
- Usually 26 performers
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
This is Takae Odori, passed down at Minakata Shrine in Takae, Satsumasendai City. A procession of taiko and gong players dances through the sequence of departure for war, battle, return, and victory celebrations. The costumes and Sarunoko ornaments also carry stories passed down in the community.
About Takae Taiko Odori (a performance associated with the autumn festival at Minakata Shrine)
Takae Taiko Odori is a performance associated with the autumn festival at Minakata Shrine in Takae, Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture.
It usually involves 26 performers: lead taiko drummers, lead gong players, supporting gong players, and large taiko drummers. As they play the taiko and gongs, they dance through scenes ranging from preparations for departure to war and the soldiers’ march to battle, their return, and the victory celebrations.
It was designated an intangible folk cultural property of Satsumasendai City on August 27, 2018.
Festival highlights
Highlights include the structure of the dance, which vividly depicts the course of battle, and the performers’ costumes.
The lead taiko drummer wears a long tasuki sash and a hat decorated with shide paper streamers. The gong performers wear hats adorned with shide, while the large taiko drummers wear white costumes and white-haired head coverings and carry arrow banners decorated with shide and feathers.
The “Sarunoko” ornament, worn at the waist or attached to the arrow banners, expresses gratitude for a monkey that is said to have rescued the performers from danger on the battlefield.
A stirring tale of battle and homecoming told by a procession of taiko and gong players
What to expect
The dance begins with a 4-line formation, led by the lead taiko drummer and followed by the gong players and large taiko drummers.
The procession divides into two circles, then forms double circles and spirals before returning to its original formation.
The performance depicts, in dance, preparations for departure to war, the soldiers’ march and battles, a battle between commanders, the soldiers’ return, and the victory celebrations.
How to take part
必要人数：基本26名
Location and access
- Venue and address
Minakata Shrine, Takae, Satsumasendai City
Address Takae, Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Accommodation and hotels PR
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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 Kagoshima Prefecture / Satsumasendai City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
新田神社
鹿児島県薩摩川内市にある神社
写真：ja:User:MK Products upload by Sakoppi / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·
薩摩川内市せんだい宇宙館
鹿児島県薩摩川内市にある科学展示館、天文台
Origins and History of Takae Taiko Odori (a performance associated with the autumn festival at Minakata Shrine)
Takae Taiko Odori has been passed down in Takae, Satsumasendai City, as a performance associated with Minakata Shrine’s autumn festival.
The available sources do not specify when it began or detail how it has changed over time, but the dance includes scenes of preparations for departure to war, the march, battle, the return, and the victory celebrations.
One story says that swords and spears were concealed beneath mountain pheasant feathers on the arrow banners, and that armor and helmets were concealed beneath the taiko.
It was designated an intangible folk cultural property of Satsumasendai City in 2018.
Official information
Takae Taiko Odori, a performance associated with the autumn festival at Minakata Shrine, is listed as a folk and intangible folk cultural property in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Heritage Database.
It is located in Takae, Satsumasendai City, and takes place at Minakata Shrine.
Takae Taiko Odori (a performance associated with the autumn festival at Minakata Shrine) at a Glance
Takae Taiko Odori is an intangible folk cultural property associated with the autumn festival at Minakata Shrine in Takae, Satsumasendai City.
A procession of taiko and gongs, usually comprising 26 performers, depicts in dance the preparations for departure to war, the fighting, the return, and the victory celebrations. The formation shifts from 4 lines to circles, double circles, and a spiral.
The costumes, arrow banners, and Sarunoko ornaments also carry stories about the battles and meanings of gratitude.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
