murmurDainichido Bugaku (Sacred Court Dances of Dainichido)
Kazuno City · Oohirumemuchi Shrine (Dainichido)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Dainichido Bugaku Preservation Society · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Fri, Jan 2, 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 January
- How the date is set
- Every year on January 2
- Venue
- Oohirumemuchi Shrine (Dainichido)
- City
- Kazuno City, Akita
About
Every year on the second day of the New Year, the Oohirumemuchi Shrine in Kazuno's Hachimantai district, known locally as Dainichido, hosts a program of sacred court dances. With roughly 1,300 years of history, it is said to be the oldest such tradition in Akita Prefecture. Legend traces it to 718, when the monk Gyoki, sent by Empress Gensho, rebuilt the hall and dances were performed at its dedication. Dancers called noshu come from four local hamlets, Osato, Azukizawa, Nagamine and Yachi, and perform pieces such as the Godaison-mai and Gongen-mai both in front of and inside the shrine. The dances are a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and were inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009. The shrine is just a minute's walk from JR Hachimantai Station.
Sources
- OfficialDainichido Bugaku Preservation Society dainichido.p1.bindsite.jp
- OfficialKazuno City www.city.kazuno.lg.jp
- Date checkAkita Sakigake Shimpo www.sakigake.jp
- Reference社説：地域の伝統行事 継承への在り方検討を｜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.
Other events this month
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.