Held annually in late August in Okinawa City (Koza), the All-Japan Eisa Festival is considered the definitive showcase of Eisa — Okinawa's ancestral Bon-season drum dance performed to honour the spirits of the dead. Over 4,000 performers from more than 30 troupes compete and parade along the city's main boulevard, beating parades drums (paranku and oodaiko) and dancing in brightly coloured traditional costume. The Saturday night street parade, stretching nearly 2 km, is the emotional highlight, drawing more than 300,000 spectators over the three days. Eisa blends Okinawan shamisen music, Buddhist ritual and acrobatic movement in a style found nowhere else in Japan.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Summer
- Month
- Late August
- Region
- Okinawa
- Prefecture
- Okinawa
- City
- Okinawa City
Highlights
- ◆4,000+ performers from across Okinawa in competitive parade
- ◆2 km Saturday night street parade attracting 300,000 spectators
- ◆Thunderous oodaiko and paranku drum performances
- ◆Unique Okinawan cultural art form distinct from mainland Japanese festivals
- ◆Street food stalls featuring Okinawan cuisine throughout