Terakata Lantern Dance

This local performing art passed down in Moriguchi City is memorable for its distinctive dancers holding a lantern in one hand.

About Terakata Lantern Dance

Terakata Lantern Danceの記録写真：File:Paper Lantern Bonodori Dance (3).JPG — Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: MASA File:Paper Lantern Bonodori Dance (3).JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.

Terakata Lantern Danceの記録写真：File:Paper Lantern Bonodori Dance (2).JPG — Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: MASA File:Paper Lantern Bonodori Dance (2).JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.

Terakata Lantern Dance is a local performing art passed down in the former Minami-Terakata area of Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture.

It is known for its distinctive , with drum accompaniment to Kawachi Ondo and dancers holding a lantern in one hand.

As a cultural tradition preserving a locally distinctive form of Bon Odori, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Moriguchi City in 2000.

Source: 【市指定文化財】寺方提灯踊り／守口市ホームページ

Festival highlights

The highlight is the sight of dancers performing with a lantern in one hand.

Drums sound alongside Kawachi Ondo, and you can enjoy lantern movements unlike those in typical Bon Odori.

The ondo and drum accompaniment were revived based on Katano-bushi and are now called “Terakata-bushi.”

Moriguchi’s distinctive Bon Odori, danced with a lantern in one hand

What to expect

At the event, people dance with a lantern in one hand to drum accompaniment and an ondo style based on Kawachi Ondo.

It is said to have evolved from a custom of visiting homes observing their first during the lunar-calendar Obon period and dancing before the family altar or in the garden.

Today, the preservation society carries on the tradition, and it is presented as a lantern dance festival in front of Moriguchi Station.

Location and access

Venue and address: The Lantern Dance Festival is held in front of Moriguchi-shi Station.

Event venue 大阪府守口市守口市駅前で提灯踊り大会が開催されています

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

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Dates and season

Season: Every year July (for 2 days, including Marine Day)
Frequency: Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

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 Osaka Prefecture / Moriguchi City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)

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Origins and History of Terakata Lantern Dance

Although its origin date is unclear, it is said to have been danced widely around 1804–1830, during the Bunka and Bunsei eras.

It was suspended from around the time of World War II through some years after the war, but with guidance from two elderly dancers who had performed before the war, a preservation society was formed in 1971.

Later, the ondo and drum accompaniment were revived based on Katano-bushi, and it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the city in 2000.

Official information

Moriguchi City introduces Terakata Lantern Dance as a city-designated cultural property.

The preservation group is the Kyodo Geino Terakata Odori Preservation Society, and the event is listed as being open to the public for 2 days each year, including Marine Day.

For the latest information on dates and how to participate, check Moriguchi City’s cultural properties guide.