Hatsu-uma Festival (tiger dance for fire prevention)
Hatsuuma Matsuri "Hibuse-no-Tora"Enjoy this thrilling rooftop tiger dance!
The Hatsu-uma Festival is a ritual taking place in Kami-machi in northern Miyagi prefecture. The festival dates back 650 years to a time when fires commonly broke out due to the strong regional spring winds. According to a traditional Chinese saying “clouds follow the dragon, winds follow the tiger”, tiger dances were performed by locals praying for calm winds to avert any major fire outbreaks. These dances developed into an annual festival in Kami-machi in which local people dress in tiger costumes to dance and parade through the town’s streets along with vibrant floats in order to calm the springtime winds.
The festival’s highlight is a performance by local students in tiger costumes dancing and swaying in the wind on the roofs of the local buildings. Come and see this heroic performance for yourself!
General Information
- Address
- 宮城県加美町南町111-1
- Directions
- 20 minutes by car from Furukawa IC or Taiwa IC on Tohoku Expressway
70 minutes by bus (Limited Express Kami by Miyako Bus bound for Nakaniida) from JR Sendai Station West Exit Bus Terminal
30 minutes by Miyako Bus bound for Shikima Yakuba from Furukawa Station on JR Tohoku Shinkansen Line to Nakaniida-nishi-machi - Car Park
- Parking: 600 spaces available around Kami City District Office
- Date
- April 29, 2020
- Time
- 7:00-18:00
- Venue
- Nakaniida Karakukoji, Kami-machi, Miyagi
Contact
- Contact
- Administration Office of Hatsuuma Festival Executive Committee
- Telephone Number
- 0229-63-6000
