Niino Bon Dance: Urabon

About this event

"Niino Bon Dance," a traditional Bon dance that has continued for over 500 years in Anan Town, Nagano Prefecture, is characterized by its rustic simplicity, using no musical instruments such as shamisen, flutes, or drums whatsoever, with the dance progressing solely through the lead singer's "ondo-dashi" and the dancers' responding "kaeshi" voices. Said to have begun in the late Muromachi period, it is also referred to as the prototype of Bon dancing. There are seven types of dances: four danced holding folding fans ("Sukuisa," "Ondo," "Osama Jinku," and "Oyama") and three hand dances ("Takaiyama," "Juroku," and "Noto"). In particular, during the "Odorigamisokuri" (dance sending off the deities) ceremony held at dawn on the 17th, "Noto" is danced, with the interaction with the procession serving as the climax. As a Bon dance honoring deities, the welcoming and sending off of the gods is considered a milestone of the year, preserving ancient religious forms of ancestral spirit-welcoming rituals, dancing, and spirit-sending. In 2026, it will be held as "Urabon" on Saturday, August 22, and danced from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM. This Bon dance was also inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2023.

Venue

Niino

Niino, Anan, Shimoina District, Nagano 399-1612