About this event
Akusekijima Boze Festival is a traditional Bon Odori event held on Akusekijima Island in Toshima Village. Appearing at the very end of the Obon festivities, the visiting deity "Boze" is believed to purge the villagers of impurities and bring good fortune. Boze appears wearing a unique mask with large ears, eyes, mouth, and a long nose, with its body covered in fan palm (birou) leaves. Three young men disguise themselves as Boze and chase after women and children with long sticks smeared with red mud called "bozemara." It is believed that being touched with this red mud on one's body brings divine blessings. In 2018, this festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as one of the elements of "Raiho-shin: Ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes," making it a valuable festival that vividly conveys the island's culture and traditions.
Official website (Japanese) ↗Venue
Toshima Village Akusekijima Gakuen School
64-1 Akusekijima, Toshima-mura, Kagoshima-gun, Kagoshima 891-5204
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