Tottori’s shrine offering, featuring a real-sword dance and a Kirin Shishimai
The Lion Dance at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine
The 2026 edition of The at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/10/11Ended
- Season / frequency
- Oct / Every year
- Location
- Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine
- Area
- Tottori Prefecture・Tottori City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 15 min–1 h 30 min · flight time only)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A two-person Kirin Shishimai passed down at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine in Tottori City. The sword dance with a real sword and the exchanges with Shōjō make the offering dance before the deity especially memorable.
About The Lion Dance at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine
The lion dance at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine is a Kirin Shishimai passed down in the Nakasunami and Kamisunami districts of Tottori City.
In this folk performing art unique to the Inaba region, 2 performers stand inside the body cloth and dance with a lion head featuring a single horn and upright ears.
Lion dance troupes from the Oyudana and Kamisunami districts perform offering dances at the shrine, adding color to the local festival.
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the sword dance performed with a real sword during the dance in the Kamisunami district.
The lion carries a sword in its mouth as it circles before the deity, and the performer inside the lion head also handles a real sword, making striking motions.
In the main dance, Shōjō leads the lion before the deity, and you can enjoy the distinctive slow movements and the exchanges between the lion and Shōjō.
Tottori’s shrine offering, featuring a real-sword dance and a Kirin Shishimai
What to expect
In the , the main dance by the Oyudana district is offered after the dance by the Kamisunami district.
The Kamisunami district’s performance proceeds in the order of the sword dance, Shōjō, and the lion’s main dance. It is said to last about 40 minutes in the Kamisunami district and about 30 minutes in the Oyudana district, for a total of about 70 minutes.
After the offering dance, the performers return to their respective districts and visit parishioners’ homes to perform the kado-mai (gate dances).
How to take part
The lion dance at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine is a traditional performance offered at the shrine.
If you wish to watch, please do so quietly in the shrine grounds without disrupting the offering dance.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine.
- Train and bus
Take the Hinomaru Bus Kobe-Yokomakura Line from JR Tottori Station, get off at the Kamisunami bus stop, and walk about 5 minutes.
- By car
From central Tottori City, take the Tottori Minami Bypass toward Chizu, turn onto Prefectural Route 42 at the Hattori intersection, then take Prefectural Route 32 along the way. The drive takes about 10 minutes.
- Parking
There is no public parking lot at the shrine.
Event venue 鳥取県鳥取市 大和佐美命神社
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
2026年の開催案内（掲載日程は終了しています）
2026年は10月11日（日）に例祭と麒麟獅子舞が行われる予定として案内されていました。
The dance in the shrine grounds is scheduled for around 9 a.m.
The offering dance takes place in the morning, followed by visits to parishioners’ homes in the afternoon.
Source: ⛩大和佐美命神社｜鳥取県鳥取市 - 八百万の神 / 大和佐美命神社｜観光スポット｜鳥取市観光サイト【公式】 - 鳥取市のおすすめ観光・旅行情報
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
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 Tottori Prefecture / Tottori City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The venue is a shrine in the mountains, and there is no public parking lot.
If traveling by public transportation, it is about a 5-minute walk from the Kamisunami bus stop.
The sword dance uses a real sword. During the performance, please follow the designated viewing-area rules and any instructions given nearby.
Nearby attractions
The tourism information for Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine lists Yudani Onsen, Inaba Saigo Kogeino-sato, the large weeping cherry tree in Nagase, Me-numa Shrine, Yagami-hime Park, and Oshiroyama Observatory Kawahara Castle as nearby attractions.
These facilities and landmarks are suggested as places to visit around the festival venue.
Please check the latest information for each location for opening hours, distance from the festival venue, and walking time.
かにっこ館
鳥取県鳥取市賀露町にある水族館
わらべ館
鳥取県鳥取市にある童謡・唱歌・おもちゃがテーマの博物館
因幡万葉歴史館
鳥取県鳥取市にある博物館
宇倍神社
鳥取県鳥取市国府町宮下に位置する神社
河原城
鳥取県鳥取市河原町谷一木にあった城、および同地に建てられた模擬天守
流しびなの館
鳥取県鳥取市用瀬町にあるひな人形の展示施設
写真：Original uploader was KASEI (Edited by 663h ) / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·
渡辺美術館
鳥取県鳥取市にある博物館
白兎神社
鳥取県鳥取市にある神社
砂の美術館
鳥取県鳥取市にある美術館
鳥取城
鳥取県の城
鳥取市あおや郷土館
鳥取県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
鳥取市歴史博物館
鳥取県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
Origins and History of The Lion Dance at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine
Kirin Shishimai is believed to have originated as a festival performance when Mitsunaka Ikeda, the first lord of the Tottori Domain, founded Tottori Toshogu Shrine.
The lion dance at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine is called “Orthodox Gongen-ryu,” a style learned from Inaba Toshogu Shrine, and has been passed down as a local performance offered at the shrine.
Kirin Shishimai at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine was designated a Tottori Prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1959 and selected as a National Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1971.
Source: 麒麟獅子舞（きりんじしまい） ： 鳥取伝統芸能アーカイブス
Official information
An overview of its cultural-property designation is available in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.
Venue information and the date of the annual festival are listed on the Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine page of the Tottori City tourism website.
The Tottori Traditional Performing Arts Archives also provide information about the dances, the time of year they are held, and transportation.
The Lion Dance at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine at a Glance
The lion dance at Owasami-no-Mikoto Shrine is a traditional performing art passed down in Tottori City, featuring a two-person Kirin Shishimai dancing before the deity.
In 2026, the annual festival and Kirin Shishimai will be held on October 11, with the offering dance beginning at around 9 a.m.
The main highlights are the sword dance with a real sword, the exchanges between Shōjō and the lion, and the kado-mai performed after the offering dance.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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