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On February 9th, 2025, I went to see the Namahage Sedo Festival, whichShinzan Shrine and marks its 62nd year this year
The 62nd Namahage Sedo Festival was held over three days
The Namahage Sedo Festival is a winter festival held every year at Mayama Shrine in Kitaura, Oga City, Akita Prefecture, and this year marks the 62nd time it has been held.
It is held for three days every year, including the second Saturday in February: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
The beginning of the Namahage Sedo Festival
It began in 1964 as a winter tourist event combining the Saitosai , with the folk event Namahage, in order to boost winter tourism in the Oga Onsen area of Kitaura Yumoto in Oga City.
It originally began at Hoshitsuji Shrine in the Oga Onsen hot spring resort, but as the number of visitors increased year by year and the venue became too small, it was moved to Mayama Shrine, and has continued to this day without being cancelled since its inception
[From 15:00] Arrival at the venue
On the day, we arrived at the site at 3:00 p.m., when the parking lot opened to the public
While waiting for the festival to begin, you can visit , Namahage Museum and Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum, which are open to the public free of charge in conjunction with the Namahage Sedo Festival
Around 5:00 PM, it gets dark and the lanterns along the approach to Shinzan Shrine are lit up. It's time to head to the venue
The area around the temple gate is bustling with people. The line of people heading to the venue continues endlessly
As I was passing through the temple gate, I looked up and saw a huge deba knife being dedicated! It's no wonder that this is a shrine with a connection to Namahage
Events scheduled for the day. Events will be held in various locations within the shrine grounds in order, so you will need to move around the grounds accordingly
Since you cannot stay in one place to watch, it is extremely difficult to find the best position to view all the events
There is a large monitor set up in the center of the temple grounds for viewing, so if you can't get a good spot, you can watch the event on that monitor
[From 18:00] Chinkamatsuri Festival and Yunomai
The Yunomai dance is a sacred kagura dance performed in the Oga region, and the Chinkamasai festival involves a priest stirring boiling water in a large cauldron with a straw boki while chanting words of purification. It is believed that this ritual calms the waves and rough seas.
From the very beginning, we failed to find a good position...we couldn't see anything at all. The temple grounds have a limited capacity, and although the number of visitors per day is limited to 2,000, the venue was overflowing with people, making it difficult to move around even for a short distance
The event is taking place in the lower left corner of the image above, near where the young bamboo is lit up
[From 18:20] Namahage spirit
"Namahage Iryo" is an event in which young people receive and wear Namahage masks near the stone steps at the entrance to the approach to the shrine.
During this ritual, the young men transform into Namahage, who scream as they climb the approach to the shrine and disappear into the mountain
[From 18:35] Namahage event reenactment
"Oga Namahage," which is held in various parts of Oga city on New Year's Eve, will be held at the Kagura Hall.
usually the Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum , but here you can see Namahage visiting homes, leaving a message before leaving.
Many people are looking to the right instead of the Kagura Hall because they are watching the "Namahage Event Reenactment"
The Kagura Hall is transformed into a private home, allowing visitors to experience how Namahage actually visits
The photo is so serious that it looks as if Namahage is being lectured, but in fact Namahage is giving a lecture to the owner of the house
[From 18:55] Namahage Dance
Next, the stage will move to the purple lantern in the center of the temple grounds, where the Namahage Dance will be held.
Originally created to entertain visitors to the Oga Onsen hot spring resort, the Namahage Dance was created by Akita-born contemporary dancer Baku Ishii and his son, composer Kan Ishii. Two Namahage, one red and one blue, will perform the dance
The dance performed in front of a huge bonfire (purple lantern) is a fantastical sight and also a great opportunity to take photos!
[From 19:05] Namahage Taiko
Next, the stage shifts back to the Kagura Hall "Namahage Taiko .
This is a local performing art of Oga that combines Namahage and Japanese drums, and is said to have originated in the 1970s as a new form of entertainment to be shown to visitors to the Oga hot spring resort, similar to the Namahage Dance
the Oga Japanese Taiko Club, dressed as Namahage, gave a performance.
As we quickly moved to the next event, Namahage gave us a clear look from the side
[From 19:25] Namahage descent from the mountain and offering of rice cakes
After the Namahage has been poured into the mountains, it returns to the shrine grounds from the darkness of the snowy mountain, carrying a torch
The sight of a group of Namahage suddenly appearing from the pitch black mountains is so realistic it makes you wonder if they really exist in the mountains, and it's also frightening
As if to coincide with Namahage's appearance, snow began to fall, turning the weather into a blizzard, creating a fantastical sight
When Namahage enters the temple grounds, people rush around, just like a celebrity disembarking at an airport
After parading around the shrine grounds for a while, the group of Namahage move on to the next event, the "Kenpei" rice cake
This ritual is performed near the approach to the shrine, where a priest offers goma mochi, which has been roasted over a firelight, and presents it to Namahage, the messenger of the gods.The goma mochi contains divine power and cannot be easily touched, so the Namahage struggles to bring it back to the gods
The story that began with the Namahage's soul-pourri comes to an end here
[From 8:00 PM] Village Namahage Invasion
At the end of the day, unique Namahage from each district of Oga City will burst into the shrine grounds. During the so-called "photo time ," if you call out to your favorite Namahage, they will agree to take a photo with you.
It was impressive to see the Namahage gently comforting the children, in stark contrast to their frightening faces and crying children
summary
Oga's Namahage but had never seen it . The Namahage were both terrifying and divine, and the experience was so impressive that the two hours flew by!
The festival is held every year for three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, including the second Saturday in February, and because it has fixed dates, once you've decided to go, you can start preparing well in advance, which is a great thing about this festival, so if you're interested, why not start planning?
However, because the maximum number of visitors per day is limited to 2,000, you will need to apply in advance to participate in the festival. Don't forget to apply!
Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs.
