murmurSagi-mai Heron Dance (Yasaka Shrine Gion Festival)
Tsuwano Town · Yasaka Shrine and set spots around Tsuwano town
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tsuwano Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 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 late July
- How the date is set
- Every year, July 20 – July 27 The dance is performed on July 20 and July 27 only; in rain it moves to the community centre gym
- Venue
- Yasaka Shrine and set spots around Tsuwano town
- City
- Tsuwano Town, Shimane
About
Two dancers, a male and a female heron with heron headpieces and wooden wings, spread their wings and move close together as they make their way around the castle town of Tsuwano in this classical sacred art of Yasaka Shrine. Stick dancers and kakko drummers join in, with gongs, drums, flutes and song. During the Gion festival they dance at fixed, long-established spots: 11 places on July 20, when the deity goes out, and 9 on July 27, when it returns. Children also perform a little heron dance, and if it rains everything moves to the community center gym. The dance came from Kyoto's Gion festival by way of Yamaguchi and was brought to Tsuwano in 1542 by the castle lord Yoshimi Masayori. It is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan.
Sources
- OfficialTsuwano Tourism Association tsuwano-kanko.net
- OfficialShimane Tourism Association www.kankou-shimane.com
- Reference【毎年7月20・27日】鷺舞神事｜おいでませ山口へ yamaguchi-tourism.jp
Last checked: Oct 11, 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.