Shimozuru Usudaiko Odori

About this event

At Minamikata Shrine, Hitotsuse Riverbed, and Shimozuru Community Center in Minamikata, Saito City, Miyazaki Prefecture, the "Shimozuru Usudaiko Odori" dance is dedicated. It is dedicated annually on the 1st day of the 8th lunar month—falling on Friday, September 11 in 2026—with prayers for bountiful harvests and protection against flood and fire disasters. As a representative example of Usudaiko dances passed down in Miyazaki Prefecture, it is designated as a National Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The dance shifts formations between circular and vertical columns, which is said to originate from a clever tactic employed by Kato Kiyomasa during the Bunroku and Keicho campaigns. The jingasa hats and jinbaori coats worn by the gong players feature Kato Kiyomasa's family crest, "Janome" (bull's-eye). The performance is composed of 24 people: 4 gong players, 16 dancers, and 4 singers. The dancers carry a 15 kg banner on their back and dance while holding a mortar-shaped drum (usudaiko) on their chest. An inscription dating back to Kyowa 2 (1802) on one of the gongs indicates that it was already danced in the mid-Edo period. Various theories exist regarding the roots of Usudaiko dance, including martial arts training and morale boosting, or an artistic development of the Jugoya dance. Because the Shimozuru Usudaiko Odori is held on the 1st day of the 8th lunar month—the Hassaku date known as one of the three major unlucky days for farmers—it can be seen as an effort to ward off agricultural disasters.

Venue

Minamikata Shrine

Minamikata, Saito, Miyazaki 881-0027