Yamana Shrine Tenno Festival Bugaku

Festival highlights

A highlight is the sight of performers dancing with crafted figures of cranes, dragons, praying mantises, and other figures on their heads.

In the dragon dance, a performer climbs a pillar, turns upside down, and swings their upper body in a sangaku-style performance.

The praying mantis dance and Yūten-shishi, in which a lion is cornered, are among the performances that differ from conventional bugaku.

The Gion festival’s furyū dances at Yamana Shrine, performed in 8 dances by child performers

What to expect

The festival begins with “Makuri,” followed in sequence by 8 pieces, including “Yatsuhatsuji no Mai,” “Miko no Mai,” “Tsuru no Mai,” and “Shishi no Mai.”

Flutes, drums, and ōtsuzumi ring out on stage as child performers dance with fans, bells, and crafted figures shaped like animals.

During the dances, a float circles the stage, and there is also a scene in which performers pay their respects before the deity.

Source: 37 山名神社祇園祭のお舞／静岡県森町

How to take part

This traditional performing art is handed down by children, and is open for the public to watch.

On stage, roles such as Hasshoji, miko, crane, lion, dragon, and praying mantis are performed.

Location and access

Venue and address

Yamana Shrine (Iida, Mori Town, Shuchi District, Shizuoka Prefecture).

It is dedicated at the dance pavilion in the shrine grounds.

Parking

There is no parking lot.

Source: 遠江森町の舞楽 山名神社の天王祭舞楽 - 無形民俗文化財 - しずおか無形民俗文化財ナビ

Address Iida, Mori Town, Shuchi District, Shizuoka Prefecture

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Dates and season

The annual festival at Yamana Shrine is held on the Saturday and Sunday closest to July 14 and 15, when bugaku is offered.

Processions of festival floats and mikoshi are also part of the tradition.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Nearby attractions

Temples and shrinesMori Town

小国神社

静岡県周智郡森町一宮にある神社

Visit the official page ↗ⓘ Photo and data sources

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写真：Kenchan3229 / CC BY-SA 3.0

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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 Yamana Shrine Tenno Festival Bugaku

Yamana Shrine Tenno Festival Bugaku is said to belong to a tradition of furyū dances that spread through the Ōta River basin against the backdrop of a festival to ward off epidemics, akin to Kyoto’s Gion Festival.

According to tradition, it was brought from Tennōji in Settsu in Meio 5 (1496), then fell into disuse before being taught again and revived in Keichō 11 (1606).

The program, based on a bugaku instruction manual from Genroku 14 (1701), has been passed down to the present day.

Official information

You can check an overview and designation details for the Yamana Shrine Tenno Festival Bugaku in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties and Shizuoka Prefecture’s Shizuoka Cultural Properties Navi.

Mori Town’s official page introduces the program, its connection with the Gion Festival, the stage structure, and more.

The associated preservation group is the Yamana Shrine Tenno Festival Bugaku Preservation Society.

Yamana Shrine Tenno Festival Bugaku at a Glance

Yamana Shrine Tenno Festival Bugaku is a folk performing art centered on child performers, passed down at Yamana Shrine in Iida, Mori Town.

Among the 8 dances are performances featuring crafted figures of cranes, dragons, and praying mantises, as well as a dragon dance in which the performer climbs a pillar and turns upside down.

例年は7月14日・15日に近い土曜日と日曜日に奉納されます。