Hanawa no Tenmatsuri Festival

About this event

Held in the precincts of Matsubaraji Temple in Sanga, Nasukarasuyama City, Tochigi Prefecture, "Hanawa no Tenmatsuri" is a rustic and gorgeous festival that announces the beginning of autumn in the satoyama hills. It is said to have originated when Monk Chokai from Dewa introduced the Nenbutsu dance during the Kyoho era, and the Ten-dana scaffold is erected the day before. On the day of the festival, ascetic practitioners perform cold-water ablutions (mizugori), and Shinto priests, Buddhist monks, and practitioners climb up into the Ten-dana scaffold to begin the ritual. The climax of the festival is the "Tenmatsuri Dance" performed at night on the stage in front of the Ten-dana. Young people wearing headbands, yukata, and sash cords dynamically perform the Ayadake dance and folding-fan dance. Afterwards, rituals by Shinto priests and Buddhist monks are performed, and the Ten-dana scaffold is dismantled, concluding the festival. Colorful ornamental crafts decorate the grounds of Matsubaraji Temple, creating a fantastical night.

Venue

Matsubaraji Temple

1660 Sanga, Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi 321-0531