【Designated by the City：Intangible Folk】Harvest Festival of Shinzato

The Harvest Festival of Shinzato, held on the days of Tsuchi in June of the lunar calendar, consists of a Lion Dance, a stick dance, a women’s dance (daki-odori and nagi-odori), and a tug-of-war.
Although the origins of the festival are unknown, some say that when the Motojima community near the coast line moved to the current location after being devastated by the Great Tsunami of Meiwa in 1771, and the people relocated to the new community from Irabu Island and others, they needed to establish belief, and therefore began to observe the event in appreciation of harvests and in prayer for the development of the community.
Lions used in the lion dance are a pair of male and female ones. The male lion has a short head and fangs with a piercing expression, and the female one has a long head with a gentle expression. When cheered, the pair raise their heads and walk through the streets as if they were alive. The stick dance is lively and exciting. When men bounce around and exchange hard blows with shouts, the enthusiasm and passions of those determined to establish the Shinzato community are keenly felt.
In contrast, the women’s dance is filled with a doleful air and seems as if they are desperately appealing something to the audience.