[Oga City, Akita Prefecture] Meet Namahage at the Oga Mayama Legend Museum! At Namhage Mansion, all Oga's Namhage attend!

The Oga Mayama Denshokan shows the legend of "Namahage" through skits

Namahage, the visitor god, is a national tradition that represents Oga city in Akita Prefecture, and is designated as an intangible important cultural property in the country

He let out a terrifying cry and broke into the house, saying, "Please, please! (Is there no bad kids!)" and "Please, please! (Is there any lazy people?)" The children cry in deep frightened by the strange appearance and ragingness of the children.

This "Oga no Namahage" .

The Oga Mayama Densetsukan and the adjacent Namahagekan are open all year round. Even if it's not New Year's Eve, you can meet Namahage and experience the power.

Namahage appears in a skit at Oga Shinzan Folk Museum

The Oga Mayama Denshokan is in the shape of an old private house. This is because namakages go around each house and break in.

The inside is an old electric light shining in a completely closed space with shutters. The storyteller standing beneath it begins to tell the legend of Namahage.

After a while, Sakidachi appears and asks if they can enter the house. The reason why I ask is that Namahage is the rule that "does not enter a house where people are sick."

Then, all of a sudden, the shutters are slammed violently from outside. At the same time, Namahage's voice echoes.

Namahage enters the house and screams out, beginning to search for bad children and lazy people. The owner of the house desperately pleads, "We don't have any bad children!" However, Namahage has a "Namahage ledger." Looking at the ledger, he goes wild, "No, according to this, there must be some bad kids skipping homework!"

The husband also tries to protect the child by saying, "No, my child has just finished his homework! There's no bad child!" To help Namahage's anger, they begin offering drinks and snacks. After giving full hospitality, Namhage subsides his anger and heads to the next house.

Roots of Namahage

The namhage has a demon face. However, this is merely a godly messenger who prays for the safety of his family.

the origin of the word namahage comes from "namonihagi."

On a cold night, if you stay warm by the fire forever, you can create a "fire octopus." In Akita, this fire octopus is called a "namomi." The one who comes to peel off these firfish is the firfish. And this Namomihagi was corrupted into "namahage."

A large number of Namahage will welcome you at the Namahage Museum.

Next to the Oga Mayama Legend Museum is the Namahage Museum The building has over 100 namahages that were actually used in each district. There are a wide selection of Oga's whole lot. This is the only place where you can see all these many namahages at once.

Videos are also available, allowing you to watch the actual festival, similar to the skits you can see at the Denshokan. You can also actually wear a Namahage costume.

Summary about Oga Shinzan Folk Museum

If you go to Oga Mayama Denshokan, you can spend a day dyed in namahage colour with the adjacent Namahage-kan. If you're interested, be sure to visit.

Oga Shinzan Tradition Museum＜Information＞

• Name: Oga Shinzan Denshokan (adjacent to Namahagekan)
• Address: 48 Mizukaizawa, Kitaura, Oga City, Akita Prefecture, 010-0685
• Phone number: 0185-22-5050 (Namahagekan)
• Official URL: Namahagekan - Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum

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