Held on the second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of February at Shinzan Shrine, the Namahage Sedo Matsuri brings Akita's UNESCO-listed Namahage folklore tradition to a dramatic stage performance. Performers in straw capes and fearsome wooden oni masks carry torches down the mountain, scaring away evil spirits and laziness for the new year. The event combines the ancient Sedo ritual with live taiko drumming and sacred kagura dance. It offers one of the most visceral and authentic cultural spectacles in all of Tohoku.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Culture
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- February
- Region
- Tohoku
- Prefecture
- Akita
- City
- Oga
Highlights
- ◆UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Namahage tradition
- ◆Torchlit procession of oni-masked figures down Shinzan Shrine
- ◆Live taiko drumming and sacred kagura dance
- ◆Held across three evenings in a snow-covered shrine setting
- ◆Oga Peninsula seafood stalls surrounding the venue