Held annually from September 7 to 9! Powerful "Yama Bussuke" [Kakunodate Festival's Yama Event].

  • Akita
  • Sightseeing
Kakunodate Festival's Yamabutsutsuki (Yamabutsuke) is a famous Kakunodate Festival Yamabutsuki event.
Kakunodate in Akita Prefecture hosts the "Kakunodate Festival Yamabutsuki" from September 7 to 9 every year, which is designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset of Japan. The highlight of the festival is the "Yamabutsutsuke," in which floats violently collide with each other! The highlight of the festival is the "Yamabutsuri," in which the floats collide violently with each other!

A festival with a tradition of about 400 years

Origin of the festival

The Kakunodate Festival's mountain events began about 400 years ago. The Kakunodate Festival is the origin of Japanese festivals, as it is a festival where the belief in waiting for and receiving the gods remains strong, and where you can even see young people go to the limits of their power in a fierce clash. It is a prayer for the prosperity of the community, business, and the health of the family, and is said to be a combination of the Shinmyo Shrine (September 7 and 8) and Yakushido (September 8 and 9) festivals.

Hikiyama (floats) carrying warrior dolls and Kabuki dolls are brought out from each town and paraded through the town, pulled by young men. Hikiyama is a type of float. The term "hikiyama" varies from region to region.

Flow of the festival

Hikiyama decorated with samurai and kabuki dolls
On the 7th, the floats go to Shinmyo Shrine for worship, on the 8th, they pass through the samurai residences to visit the head of the Satake Kita family, and on the 8th and 9th, they go up to the Yakushido Hall.

The following is the schedule for 2022. Please check the Senboku City, Akita Prefecture website for the latest information.
9/7
10:00- Shinmyoja Grand Festival
16:00- Shinmyoja visitation
18:00- Shinmyoja Grand Festival Yoimiya
・9/8
8:00- Shinmyoja portable shrine procession
10:00-17:30 Satake Kita family visit
15:00- Seijoin Yakushido Ceremony Opening Ceremony
16:30- Seijoin Yakushido visit
18:00- Kanko Yama-butsuri
・9/9
7:10- Jyoshuin Yakushido Mikoshi Parade
10：00～ Visit Jyoshuin Yakushido
10：00～ Hikiyama Hikimawari
Senboku City Tourist Information Top Page

Flamboyant "Hikiyama

The floats are accompanied by people who play "Oyamabayashi" (festival music) with flutes, large drums, drums, gongs, and shamisen. The highlight of the festival is the glamorous hand dance of the Akita obako! Akita obako" refers to young Akita girls. There is also a folk song called "Akita obako," which originated in the Senboku region.
Akita Obakotachi no Teodori
Glossy Teodori (hand dance)

Climax of the festival "Yama Bussuke

When the floats meet on the road, negotiations begin as to which of the two will give way. When the participants have completed their visit to the shrine, etc., and there is no longer a purpose for the procession, they no longer have priority in the procession, and negotiations break down! The "Yamabutsuri" is the festival's climax, where the floats collide and the winner is decided by which of them will pass the road first.

The "Yamabutsuri" is the climax of the festival, and both the pullers and the music reach their climax!

The following is the schedule for 2022. For the latest information, please check the website of Senboku City, Akita Prefecture.
Yamabutsutsuke" Clash Schedule (9/8)
18:00 North - Iwase (in front of Kakunodate Kabazaiku Heritage Museum)
19:00 Honmachi Dori - Sugasawa (near Kakunodate Kabazaiku Center "Tatezu")
19:00 Yokomachi - West (Yokomachi crossroads)
19:00 Otsuka -Eastern (in front of the site of the former Kakunodate City Hall)
19:30 Ekimae - Kawaramachi (near Family Mart Kakunodate Kawaramachi)
19:30 Nishikatsuraku-cho - Chuodori (near Doma-jin)
21:00 Nanoka-machi - Sakurabi-cho ( (in front of Akita Bank)
Powerful Hikiyama Bussing

Kakunodate Town", the place where the festival is held

Shinmeisha Shrine, Kakunodate's main shrine

Seishoin Yakushido

Information on "Kakunodate Matsuri-no-Yama Event

●Date: September 7-9

●Organizer: Kakunodate Matsuri-no-Yama Event Executive Committee

●Inquiries: Senboku City Tourism Information Center "Kakunodate Ekimae Kura" (TEL: 0187-54-2700)
For more information about "Kakunodate Matsuri no Yama-gyo"
Kakunodate is known as the "Little Kyoto" of Tohoku and gives a calm impression, but it also has a different charm. Why don't you come to Kakunodate to see the live and powerful "Yamabutsuri"?

*The contents and services in this article are subject to change.
*Photographs provided by Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization, Akita Prefecture's official tourism site [Akita Fun].
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