【Designated by the City：Intangible Folk】Shishi-mai (Lion Dance) of Kami-ku

The five settlements of Sazuga, Uzzanmi, Zaratsuki, Yunabari, Panakisha are said to have been administratively separated from Shimozato Village as Shimozatosoe Village. At that time, the master of Shimozato presented a pair of Shishi, guardian deities of Shimozato Village, to Shimozatosoe Village as a gift to mark the separation. Later, Shimozatosoe Village has made it a custom to hold a festival of abundance and perform the Shishi-mai as an offering at Bunmya Utaki sacred site every year, on August 15 of lunar calendar, which has become the Shishi-mai of Kami-ku.

Shimozatosoe Village divided itself into two divisions of Simozatosoe Kami-ku (Upper Division), and Shimozatosoe Shimo-ku (Lower Division). Kami-ku later came to be called Kami-ku Settlement, and after the war, Shimokita Settlement.The Shishi-mai of Kami-ku begins and ends with a solemn ritual. The Shishi pair are enshrined and revered as guardian deities to avert and drive away evil spirits, to unite the people in the community, and to bring a good harvest. The present Shishi pairs are the third generation, created in 1948.