murmurKaizu Shishi Koma Mai (Lion Dance)
Goto City · Kaizu Shrine and the Kaizu district, Miiraku
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Nagasaki Prefecture Tourism Association (Nagasaki Tabinet) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early January
- How the date is set
- Every year, January 2 – January 3 The lion is awakened on January 2 and dances from house to house on January 3
- Venue
- Kaizu Shrine and the Kaizu district, Miiraku
- City
- Goto City, Nagasaki
About
Every New Year in Kaizu, in the Miiraku area of Goto City, a lion dance makes the rounds of the village; it is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Nagasaki Prefecture. Handed down as the lion dance of Kaizu Shrine, it is said to come from an ancient kagura connected with the myth of the sun goddess Amaterasu hiding in the heavenly rock cave. The dancers are a male lion, a female lion and Sarutahiko wearing a long-nosed tengu mask, moving to drums and flute. First a ceremony wakes the lion, and the next day it goes from house to house among the shrine's parishioners in Kaizu, dancing to chase away evil. It offers a glimpse of a simple island New Year. From Fukue, ride a bus to Miiraku and change to one bound for Kaizu Port.
Sources
- OfficialNagasaki Prefecture Tourism Association (Nagasaki Tabinet) www.nagasaki-tabinet.com
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.