I actually visited the Aomori Winter Three Festivals "Hachinohe no Enburi" local report [Hachinohe city, Aomori prefecture]

There are a variety of festivals in Tohoku, including the Akita Kanto Festival in the summer, Yamagata's Hanagasa Festival, Aomori's Nebuta Festival, Morioka's Sansa Dance Festival, and Sendai's Tanabata Festival

In the Tohoku region, where harsh winters continue, people tend to focus on summer festivals, but in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, there Hachinohe Enburi , which is a local tradition that prays for a good harvest and has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the national government.

This time, I actually went to Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture to see the Hachinohe Enburi, so I would like to introduce the charm of Hachinohe Enburi to everyone

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Hachinohe Enburi? Aomori's winter festival?

Before we get to our local report, let us explain about Hachinohe Enburi. Firstly, the name " Enburi " is said to come from the T-shaped farming tool " Eburi" , and as the name suggests, it is a religious performing art that uses an "Eburi" to pray for a good rice harvest.

"Enburi" is a celebratory performance to pray for a good harvest before rice planting

Furthermore, since Enburi a form of celebration in advance (a form of performing art or belief in which blessings are given in advance to pray for the realization of a wish) , it is held every year for four days from February 17th to 20th before the rice planting season, and is also known as winter festival

The Enburi performance tells the story of rice cultivation, starting with sowing the seeds, and although there are slight differences depending on the group, the basic composition is made up of the following four parts

1. Printing

The opening scene begins with the entrance of the tayu, Fujikuro, who is the leader of the tayu, reciting the opening speech for the Enburi

2. Beginning of printing

The print begins with a celebratory song for the beginning of the year, and depicts preparations for rice planting, with seeds being sown in the seedbed and horses being used to plow the fields

3. Inside print

A print that represents the planting of grown seedlings into rice fields

4 Final printing

This is a ritual that depicts the end of the rice harvest and the stacking of the bales in the storehouse. After obtaining the treasures, people sing "We have gathered treasures from all over the country," celebrating the harvest and praying for a good harvest

5. Kurodome (ridge closure)

The Enburi ends with the "Rice Ridge Closure" ritual, in which magic words are chanted to prevent water from leaking from the precious rice fields

*Enburi is performed in groups,master」「TayuThe group consists of 20 to 30 people, including dancers and musicians

*The above "Fujikuro" refers to "tayu"

Please note that although I am introducing it as "Hachinohe Enburi" this time, "Enburi" is a type of celebratory performing art that is widely performed throughout the southern part of Aomori Prefecture, centered around Hachinohe City, and the Enburi I visited this time is the one in Hachinohe City

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Local report! Hachinohe Enburi!

The Hachinohe Enburi festival is held for four days every year from February 17th to 20th , but I visited on the third day, February 19th. I had originally Enburi procession , but my schedule didn't allow for it, so I ended up watching it on the third day.

Although it was a bit disappointing that I couldn't see the excitement of the first day, it didn't change the fact that I would be able to see the Hachinohe Enburi, so I changed my mind and headed to Hachinohe, thinking, "Let's enjoy this first time in my life in Hachinohe together!"

The schedule for viewing the Hachinohe Enburi was already decided before coming. First, there was the Neshiro Site Enburi , which is held at the Neshiro Historical Site Square , and the Oniwa Enburi , which is held in the evening at the Kojokaku and requires a reservation .

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Experience Hachinohe Enburi at a historic site!

I took the Tohoku Shinkansen from Sendai Station and arrived at Hachinohe Station around 10:00. First, I went to see the " Negishi Enburi " performance at the Negishi Historic Site Square. The performance started at 11:00, and people were already gathering there about 30 minutes before.

By the way, the "Negishi Enburi" will be performed on the 18th and 19th, the middle days of the festival, but only in the morning, from 11:00 to 12:00

Admission is free, but please note that there is a separate admission fee to the Negishi Castle Historic Site

I joined the crowd, eagerly waiting to see my first ever Hachinohe Enburi..

Here they come! The Enburi group!

Having done almost no research beforehand, I was surprised to see the procession continuing onwards. After researching, I found out that the Enburi performances vary depending on the group, but each has their own role, and that on average, around 20 to 30 people perform the dance

The Enburi, which consists of four parts, lasts about 30 minutes. After surviving the harsh winter, I was moved and even excited by the sound of the drums echoing through the town for the first time in a long time. I was convinced that it was worth coming to see it. With that being said, I'm also looking forward to the Enburi performance at Kojokaku in the evening

The Ebisu Dance is performed around the middle of the festival, and perhaps because it is a coastal region, the dance incorporates depictions of not only agriculture but also pole-and-line fishing

By the way, when it comes to "Enburi," it's fair to say that the most eye-catching feature is the eboshi hat stick on the head. In the photo below, you can see a flower decoration on the side of the eboshi hat, which is considered proof that the performer is a Tayu (Fujikuro)

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In the evening, enjoy a little luxury with "Onienburi"

After seeing the "Negishi Enburi" in the morning, I had some time before the " Onien Enburi " in the evening, so I decided to explore the city. However, it would take too long to explain it here, so I'll save the story of my city exploration for another time.

As mentioned at the beginning, the schedule for this Enburi was explained, but in the evening we headed to the Garden Enburi held at Kojokaku, a

"Oniiwa Enburi" will be performed throughout the entire event period, with two performances per day in the evenings from 17:00 to 18:10 and from 19:15 to 20:20. "Oniiwa Enburi" is not free to watch, and tickets must be purchased in advance (3,000 to 3,500 yen)

The most distinctive feature of the "Onien Enburi" is that you can watch it feeling like a feudal lord, and it even comes with special benefits. In fact, alcoholic beverages are sold in the venue, so you can enjoy the performance while drinking in the fantastic venue at dusk, which is different from the daytime. Such a luxury is truly wonderful

As we warmed up with the complimentary sweet sake and rice cracker soup, the host appeared and the performance finally began

Unlike the Enburi we saw in Negishi during the day, this one was made up of five people, while the Yokomachi Enburi group during the day was made up of three people, so we were able to enjoy watching each one at our leisure, but the performance by the Sugarzuka and Nakaibayashi Enburi groups this time included a bonfire, making it fantastical and powerful in a different way

The "Oniwa Enburi" performance ended just after 6 p.m. After that, I disappeared into the Hachinohe night for the first time

This trip started with the question, "What is Hachinohe Enburi, one of Aomori's three major winter festivals?" And it was my first time in Hachinohe, a performing art that has been passed down through generations, with hopes and wishes for spring in a town in the depths of winter. I highly recommend visiting the Hachinohe Enburi, a fantastic winter festival that is more than just a lively summer event

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