Taiko Drum Dance (Yoshitoshi)

About this event

A traditional taiko drum dance dedicated at Nanpo Shrine in Yoshitoshi, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Dancers carrying 4-meter-tall decorative arrow banners on their backs while powerfully beating drums perform with heroic grace, captivating onlookers. This dance is a traditional rural performing art dedicated to expelling pests (mushi-okuri) and praying for bountiful harvests, dedicated annually on a rotating basis by the South, Central, and North districts of the Yoshitoshi area. Its origins are said to date back to around Keicho 13 (1608), though specific details remain unclear. As a local performing art of Hioki City, it is deeply rooted in the community and is also performed in autumn during the Myoenji-mairi at Tokushige Shrine in Ijuin-cho. Due to the rotation system, enjoying different district dances each year is one of its distinctive features.

Venue

Suwa Shrine

267 Higashiichikicho Kaminokawa, Hioki, Kagoshima 899-2204