Tokuyama Bon Dance

Festival highlights

Highlights include the “Hīyai,” danced by girls to kouta songs; “kyōgen,” in which performers act out scenes; and “Shikanmai,” in which young people dressed as deer leap about.

For the Hīyai dance, performers wear yukata with long, trailing obi styled after those worn by Kyoto maiko. Shikanmai features deer masks, hyottoko masks, and red-and-white ayabō sticks.

Another distinctive feature is the alternating sequence of dances on stage and Shikanmai around the stage.

A votive performance in Tokuyama, where echoes of classical kabuki and the deer dance live on

What to expect

On the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a purification dance is first performed at the toya, after which everyone forms a procession and heads to Tokuyama Sengen Shrine.

Hi-yai dances and kyogen are performed alternately in a dance pavilion measuring two ken by two ken in the shrine grounds.

In between, shikanmai is performed around the stage, allowing you to experience the three performing arts as a continuous sequence of offerings.

Location and access

Venue and address

Sengen Shrine (2894 Tokuyama, Kawanehoncho, Haibara District, Shizuoka Prefecture).

Train and bus

It is a 15-minute walk from Suruga-Tokuyama Station on the Ōigawa Railway.

Parking

There is no parking.

Source: 祭・イベント詳細： 徳山の盆踊り｜（一財）都市農山漁村交流活性化機構（まちむら交流きこう）

Address 2894 Tokuyama, Kawanehoncho, Haibara District, Shizuoka Prefecture

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)

In 2026, it is listed as an event in the Tokuyama district on August 15.

This Bon dance is held on the night of August 15 each year in the grounds of Sengen Shrine.

Source: opendata.pref.shizuoka.jp

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Origins and History of Tokuyama Bon Dance

The Tokuyama Bon dance is a performing art passed down in the community as part of the Bon season festivities.

Old kyōgen scripts remain, including one from Keio 4 and another marked Hōreki 9, suggesting the art has ancient roots.

In the past, men dressed as women to perform the Hīyai dance, while Shikanmai was performed by young men aged 20. Today, elementary and junior high school students perform the dances.

It was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1987 and inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2022.

Official information

Event information is available on the Tokuyama Classical Performing Arts Preservation Society website.

The official Kawanehoncho website directs visitors to the preservation society’s website to check information about the Tokuyama Bon dance.

Tokuyama Bon Dance at a Glance

The Tokuyama Bon dance is a votive performance art passed down in Tokuyama, Kawanehoncho, combining the Hīyai dance, kyōgen, and Shikanmai.

In 2026, it is listed as an event in the Tokuyama district on August 15, with Sengen Shrine as the venue.

It has been designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list for preserving the early structure of classical kabuki dance and the furyū tradition of animal costumes.