murmurGannin Odori Dance of Hachirogata
Hachirogata Town · Hitoichi Shrine, Hachirogata Station square and the town streets
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hachirogata Town · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Tue, May 5, 2026 （Ended） Confirmed from the official annual schedule and Akita Sakigake Shimpo’s notice for that year
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early May
- How the date is set
- Every year on May 5 Held on the day of the Hitoichi Shrine festival; the dedication dance is around 9:00
- Venue
- Hitoichi Shrine, Hachirogata Station square and the town streets
- City
- Hachirogata Town, Akita
About
Designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Akita Prefecture, this dance has been handed down in the town of Hachirogata. It is thought to have grown out of the door-to-door performances of wandering mendicant monks in the Edo period and is said to have reached the town about 300 years ago. Dancers move with wild, energetic steps to a fast rhythm, and midway through, a comic skit borrowed from the kabuki classic Chushingura — the bandit Sadakuro and the old man Yoichibei — has the crowd laughing. Every May 5, the troupe first dances as an offering at Hitoichi Shrine's festival, then goes from house to house through the town. Because that makes it hard to catch at a set time and place, there is also a performance in front of Hachirogata Station for visitors, where you can take photos with the dancers. Both adult and children's troupes perform.
Sources
- OfficialHachirogata Town www.town.hachirogata.akita.jp
- Date checkAkita Sakigake Shimpo www.sakigake.jp
- Reference女物の羽織身に付け軽妙な踊りと寸劇披露 晴天の下、八郎潟町で伝統芸能「願人踊」｜秋田魁新報電子版 www.sakigake.jp
Last checked: Oct 10, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.