About this event
At Nakayama Shrine, nestled in Kushihara, Ena City, Gifu Prefecture, the Nakayama Shrine Annual Grand Festival is held every year on the third Sunday of October. This festival is a traditional event to pray for bountiful harvests and good health. The greatest highlight is the dedication performance of "Nakayama Taiko," designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture. The simultaneous drumming by the six musical accompaniment troupes (uchi-bayashi-gumi) in the district is heroic and overwhelms onlookers. In particular, the "Mawari-uchi" (rotation drumming), where drummers dance and take turns beating the drums, is rare across Japan, characterized by the fact that anyone and any number of people can participate. On the day of the festival, Shinto rituals and prayers are conducted, and talisman amulets (ofuda) are sold. The shrine entry procession (miyairi) takes place at 9:00 AM, and the festival runs from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Breathing with the rich nature and traditional culture of Ena, this festival is a soul-stirring celebration infused with the wishes of the local community.
Source website (Japanese) ↗Venue
Nakayama Shrine
3913 Kushihara, Ena, Gifu 509-7801
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