Hatsukae Festival

About this event

The Hatsukae Festival, the annual grand festival of Shizuoka Sengen Shrine, is held for five days from April 1 to 5 every year as a celebration heralding the arrival of spring in Shizuoka. Formerly also called 'Bugakue', it features bugaku dance performances by chigo (children). Its essence lies in 'Chigo-mai' and 'Oneri' (festival floats), with its origin said to date back to when Tokugawa Ieyasu resided at Sunpu Castle and dedicated dances performed by chigo at the Kannon-e of Kenpo-ji Temple to the 'Oeshiki' of Sengen Shrine to pray for peace across the realm and a bountiful harvest. Today, the Chigo Bugaku features 'Enbu', 'Nasori', 'Ama', 'Genjoraku', and 'Taiheiraku', and is designated as a National Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Handed down across generations, the Chigo-mai is usually dedicated on April 5. Replacing the 'Oeshiki' formerly held on February 20 of the lunar calendar, on April 5 a chigo procession accompanied by festival floats currently parades through the city; upon arriving at the shrine, the grand festival is conducted and Chigo-mai is dedicated. Chigo-mai is a valuable folk performing art, designated also as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Shizuoka Prefecture. The Sengoku period court noble Yamashina Tokitsugu also left records in 'Tokitsugu Kyoki' of watching Chigo-mai. This dance was passed down at Kenpo-ji Temple, which was located in present-day Kenpo, Aoi Ward, Shizuoka City, and it was the custom to dedicate it from Kenpo-ji Temple to Sengen Shrine. When Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu entered Sunpu, he revived this dance, and thereafter it was held grandly under the patronage of the shogunate.

Venue

Suruga-no-Kuni Soja Shizuoka Sengen Shrine

102-1 Miyagasakicho, Aoi Ward, Shizuoka, Shizuoka 420-0868