• Culture
  • Iwate

Kitakami Michinoku Performing Arts Festival

A host of traditional performances in one place! Don't miss the fireworks finale

Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture is a treasure trove of folk entertainment, where the passing on of traditions is very much alive. The Kitakami Michinoku Performing Arts Festival, held in the city of Kitakami, brings together such folk entertainments from both around and outside of the prefecture to perform all around town. Especially popular are the group dances of the Onikenbai (Devil's Sword Dance) and the Shishiodori (Deer Dance), as well as impressive scenes created by a portable shrine parade and a fireworks display over the Kitakami River.

Devil's Sword Dance and Deer Dance

Over the three days from the first Friday until Sunday every August, the town of Kitakami is lively with various forms of folk performances, with more than 100 folk entertainments displayed all around town. Among them, the group dance, Devil's Sword Dance and Deer Dance, are especially popular. In the Devil's Sword Dance, dancers wearing devil masks valiantly perform a dance said to have been passed down in the Kitakami region for 1300 years. The dancers in the Deer Dance sing and beat on the drums in a mesmerizing performance. The finale of the festival is marked by the Evening of Torokko-Nagashi (floating lanterns) and Fireworks at the Kitakami riverside. Enjoy the contrast of Torokko-Nagashi, which has a history of 370 years, and the fireworks that light up the night sky.

Location

Name Kitakami Michinoku Performing Arts Festival
Website https://visitiwate.com/en/article/4767
Address Main street (around JR Kitakami Station West Exit) and other areas of Kitakami-shi, Iwate
Access Near Kitakami Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line
Inquiries TEL: 0197-65-0300

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