Warabioka Ennen

Festival highlights

Highlights include a varied program of pieces influenced by bugaku, such as Ryōō and Taiheiraku.

Eight pieces are performed today: three are children’s dances, and five are performed by adults.

The accompaniment is distinctive: it consists of just one taiko drum, and the performers also chant the words.

Through the dances performed by young performers and adults, you can appreciate the depth of an art passed down through generations in the community.

Source: 山形の文化財検索サイト「山形の宝 検索navi」

Encounter the Bugaku of Warabioka, Rooted in Faith in Mount Chokai

What to expect

As part of the event, dances are offered in the kagura hall in conjunction with the annual grand festival.

Seven pieces are listed: Enbu, Dōsai-rei, Dōhō, Dannai-iri, Ryōō, Kusha, and Taiheiraku; the cultural property database also lists “Furimai.”

Children perform the children’s dances, while adults perform the bugaku, accompanied by a taiko drum and chants.

This event offers a quiet opportunity to appreciate traditional performing arts connected with Shinto rituals.

Source: 国指定文化財等データベース

Location and access

Venue and address

Kagura Hall within Chokaizan Ōmonoimi Jinja Warabioka Kuchinomiya.

The location is Kami-Warabioka, Yuza Town.

Train and bus

10 minutes by car from JR Uetsu Line Yuza Station, about 6 km.

By car

It is about 10 minutes by car from JR Uetsu Line Yuza Station.

Source: 鳥海山信仰が育んだ蕨岡の歴史と文化 | 未来に伝える山形の宝

Event venue 山形県遊佐町 鳥海山大物忌神社蕨岡口之宮内神楽殿

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

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Dates and season

Warabioka Ennen is performed as an offering at the annual festival of Omonoimi Shrine, Warabioka Kuchinomiya, held every year on May 3.

In 2026, it falls on the same customary date, but no detailed times or schedule for the day have been announced.

If you are considering attending, please check the latest information on the venue and performance time in advance.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Nearby attractions

The nearby Kamidera settlement is home to historical and cultural sites associated with Mount Chokai Shugendo, including Chokaizan Ōmonoimi Jinja Warabioka Kuchinomiya and Ryutoji Temple.

The Ōizumibō Nagayamon gate, stone steps, and stone monuments are also presented as highlights that evoke Warabioka Shugendo in earlier times.

Walking routes around these cultural properties and local events are also available in the Warabioka area.

The festival is also an opportunity to explore the history of a settlement shaped by faith in Mount Chokai.

Source: 遊佐のまつり | 遊佐鳥海観光協会

Temples and shrinesYuza Town

鳥海山大物忌神社

山形県飽海郡遊佐町にある神社

Visit the official page ↗ⓘ Photo and data sources

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写真：ChiefHira / CC BY-SA 3.0(resized and reformatted)

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Facility data source

Attractions in the same municipality. Check each attraction’s official website for travel distances from the venue and current opening information.

Origins and History of Warabioka Ennen

Warabioka Ennen is a performing art passed down at Ryutoji Temple, once the head temple of Chokai Shugendo, in Warabioka—a settlement where Shugendo practitioners were active at an approach to Mount Chokai used for pilgrimages.

Masks, costumes, and old tools suggest that it began no earlier than the Muromachi period.

In the past, the eldest sons of temple lodgings took part in festivals and children’s dances from an early age, then learned to dance as part of their yamabushi training.

After the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, the dances became Shinto-style offerings, and a preservation society has continued the tradition.

Official information

The official Yuza Town website introduces Warabioka Ennen as a prefecturally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property and provides information on the offering date, venue, and program.

An overview of the cultural property and its location can also be found on Yamagata Prefecture’s cultural property search website.

The National Database of Cultural Properties also lists Warabioka Ennen’s program and the background to its transmission.

Warabioka Ennen at a Glance

Warabioka Ennen is a traditional performing art offered at the annual grand festival on May 3, against the backdrop of faith in Mount Chokai and the history of Shugendo.

Eight pieces featuring children’s dances, adult bugaku, and accompaniment by a single taiko drum have been passed down at the kagura hall of Warabioka Kuchinomiya.

The art is believed to date from the Muromachi period or later, and is now carried on by a local preservation society.