Tatsuzawa no Mushio-kuri

Festival highlights

In the Tatsuzawa district, people use a bonten hung with paper strips called norose.

As the bonten passes through the mountain village, calls such as “Send away all the insects, yoi” mingle with hayashi music played on taiko and a gong.

The calls are not fixed: they may change to phrases such as “aona no” or “na daikon,” and sometimes words reflecting the social climate can be heard.

Source: 立沢の虫送り | 秩父お祭りカレンダーPROJECT

A prayer to send the village’s epidemics beyond the mountain settlement, entrusted to the bonten and hayashi music

What to expect

During the event, a bonten hung with paper strips is held aloft and carried through the area to calls and hayashi music played on taiko and a gong.

The basic sequence is to sweep up the village’s epidemics and cast them away beyond its outskirts.

Minano’s guide describes it as an event in which people send the bonten on its way to the sound of gongs and taiko, sometimes accompanied by dancing.

Location and access

Venue and address

Tatsuzawa district (Kamihinosawa, Minano)

Train and bus

Chichibu Railway: 30 minutes by town bus from Minano Station to Tatsuzawa, plus a 10-minute walk

Source: 夏のお祭り・イベント アーカイブ - 皆野町観光協会

Address 878 Kamihinosawa, Minano, Chichibu District, Saitama Prefecture

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Dates and season

Season

August 16

Frequency

Every year

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Origins and History of Tatsuzawa no Mushio-kuri

Tatsuzawa no Mushio-kuri, together with Kadaira no Mushio-kuri, is a Prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property passed down in Minano.

It has been practiced as a communal prayer to send crop pests and diseases out of the village, regarded as the work of the insect deity.

It is also featured in Minano’s cultural heritage and history guide as an annual event held on August 16.

Official information

The official Minano Town website has a page about “Tatsuzawa no Mushio-kuri.”

Source: 立沢の虫送り | 秩父音頭のふる里 皆野町 埼玉県秩父郡皆野町ホームページ

Tatsuzawa no Mushio-kuri at a Glance

Tatsuzawa no Mushio-kuri is a communal prayer passed down in the Tatsuzawa district of Kamihinosawa, Minano, to send crop pests and diseases out of the village.

A bonten hung with paper strips is carried away to distinctive calls and hayashi music played on taiko and a gong.

It is also designated as a Prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property and held annually on August 16.