Tsushima no Taue Odori

Festival highlights

Highlights include the way the performance depicts the yearly cycle of rice farming through dance, and the costumes that differ by role.

The performance begins with an opening address by the Kuwagashira, followed by performers representing seed planting, taiko, sasara, and saotome, among others.

Roles carrying taiko drums and sasara, along with performers in colorful nagajuban robes and formal kimono with family crests, come together, and the performance concludes with a celebratory address by the Kuwagashira.

A rice-planting dance passed down through four hamlets, performed to pray for a bountiful harvest

What to expect

The dance begins with an opening address by the Kuwagashira, followed by performances depicting the yearly cycle of rice farming.

On the first day, offerings are made at the local guardian deities’ shrines—Hachiman Shrine, Inari Shrine, and Yamatsumi Shrine—and the performers then visit homes in the hamlets that have invited them.

They proceed from downstream to upstream. It is also said that if the dance cannot be completed in 2 days, it continues on the 17th, avoiding the 16th.

Location and access

Address

Namie Town

Host municipality 福島県浪江町

This map shows the surrounding area, not the exact venue location.

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Dates and season

Season

Every year on February 14 and the 15th

Frequency

Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

Tsushima no Taue Odori is a traditional performing art passed down through offerings at the village shrine and dances at homes that have invited the performers.

If you wish to watch, you need to check in advance whether it will be held as a public performance and whether entry and photography are permitted.

Source: ふるさとの祭り２０２２「南津島の田植踊」（南津島郷土芸術保存会、浪江町） - 福島県ホームページ

Origins and History of Tsushima no Taue Odori

Tsushima no Taue Odori is a performing art passed down for generations in the Tsushima district of Namie Town. According to the Minami-Tsushima Local Arts Preservation Society, it has been passed down for about 200 years.

In the past, it was held on day 14 of lunar month 1, the 15th, and the 17th, but it is now said to be held on the same dates according to the solar calendar.

Even after the earthquake, activities have continued at events in and outside the prefecture to keep the tradition alive.

Official information

Basic information about its cultural-property status is available in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of National Cultural Properties.

Tsushima no Taue Odori is listed as folk performing art and dengaku, and was selected on January 31, 1978 as an “Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which Measures such as Record Creation Should Be Taken.”

For local information about the Tsushima district of Namie Town, also consult information from Fukushima Prefecture and Namie Town.

Source: 国指定文化財等データベース

Tsushima no Taue Odori at a Glance

Tsushima no Taue Odori is a rice-planting dance passed down through four hamlets in the Tsushima district of Namie Town, performed to pray for a bountiful harvest.

Beginning with an opening address by the Kuwagashira, performers playing roles with taiko drums and sasara enact the yearly cycle of rice farming, followed by offerings at shrines and visits to local homes.

The tradition spans about 200 years and is documented as an intangible folk cultural property.