Tiger Dance of Fires | Traditional performing arts with the wish to protect the town from strong winds and fires [Miyagi Prefecture]

Aoiwa
2025.05.04
Last updated: 2025.05.4

table of contents

1 The connection between the Hatsugo and Inari faith
2 The origin of the fire-fed tiger dance and cultural property designation
3 Actual Tiger Dance Performance
4 lastly
- 4.1 Tiger Dance of the Fire (Hatsugo Festival) <Information>

"A tiger on the roof?" You can see this amazing scene at the Hatsugo Festival .

a tiger dressed in yellow and black stripes , and this tiger dance has a history of about 650 years and a desperate wish to protect the area from fires.

This time we will introduce the traditional performing arts called "Hibuse no Toramai,"

The connection between the Hatsugo and Inari faith

Hatsuuma is Inari Omikami descended on Mt. Inari (now Fushimi Inari Taisha) on the first day of February, "Horse Day" and festivals are held at Inari Shrines all over Japan as an event to pray for a bountiful harvest, prosperous business, and safety of the family.

Tagawa Inari Shrine and the monument to "The birthplace of the Tiger Dance of Fireflies"

is Tagawa Inari Shrine in Nakashinden, Kami-cho, the birthplace of Tiger Dance. In the beginning, like other Inari Shrines, the tiger dance was dedicated at the Hatsugo Festival in February, but now the festival has been changed to April 29th every year, and the dance is dedicated.

The origin of the fire-fed tiger dance and cultural property designation

The area around Kami Town (formerly Nakashinden Town) is located at the eastern foot of the Ou Mountains, and the terrain is susceptible to the "Mountain-over-Mountain-wind (Fehn phenomenon)" in which the westerly wind blowing from the Sea of and blows down the mountains.

For this reason, large fires have been occurring frequently in this area due to strong winds in early spring since the reign of the Oshu Tantei clan about 650 years ago, and people at the time "clouds follow the dragon, and wind follow the tigers," and decided to calm the wind and prevent fires by making them dance.

the "Tiger Dance of Fire Breeding" dance in the tiger's costume began.

The aforementioned "The Hatsugo Festival has been changed to April" may have been aimed at raising fire protection awareness among residents by holding fire-rest events during periods of strong winds in early spring and more fires.

It was recognized for its cultural value as an entertainment that symbolizes the history of the region, and in 1974 (Showa 49) it an intangible folk cultural property in Miyagi Prefecture and in 2006 (Heisei 18), it was also selected as intangible folk cultural property that should be taken to record and other measures

People coming out of the Hatsugo Festival

Don't underestimate it as a local festival, the day was bustling with so many festival visitors as shown in the photo, and the main street, Karaku Koji, is so difficult to move forward properly.

Actual Tiger Dance Performance

The Hatsugo Festival is held mainly in Karaku Koji, and many stalls line the streets on the day.

The Tiger Dance is performed all over the town, and one of the most notable things you should not miss is that it is performed on the roof of Toraya,

The main focus of the Tiger Dance is on the roof of Hanaraku Koji "Toraya"!

As with other places, the dance is performed multiple times a day, and the times are also announced on Kami Town's official website, so you can go and see it with your own plans.

Local fire brigade preparing on the roof of Toraya

Time approaches, and the fire brigade appears from behind the roof and begins to prepare. By the way, as you can see from the bamboo behind, there was a pretty strong wind blowing that day too.

Tiger dance performed on the roof of Toraya

As I watched the preparations and kept my eyes on the roof, I was...unknown to myself, all around was full of spectators. It was a bit difficult to move around.

Tiger dance performed on the roof of Toraya ②

There are three types of dances: "The Mat Chou no Ma," "Okazaki no Ma," and "The Mat Wake Up Tiger's Dance," and children in tiger costumes perform dances on the roof to match the flute and drumming music.

Tigers performing dances all over the town

In addition to the festival headquarters (Toraya), Nakayu Sake Brewery , near Chubumae, and Takaju Shoten are also open to the public as venues, but it seems that dances will also be performed at homes in the town.

Tiger dance is shown in the garden of Nakayu Sake Brewery

This time, I was able to see the tiger dance, which will be shown in the garden of Nakayu Sake Brewery.

The roof of Toraya is looked up, so you can see it from a certain distance , but in this case, you have to come early and get some seating, to be honest, you won't be able to see it... There were many people behind me, but I think there were many who couldn't see it.

Tiger dance is shown in the garden of Nakayu Sake Brewery ②

It was a tiger dance in an interesting situation, almost like a tiger wandering around the town and wandering around and coming to drink some water!

A unique tiger face with various expressions

On the day, many tigers will appear in the town, but their faces vary. This is because the tiger dance of Kami Town is made up of multiple divisions, each of which uses its own unique tiger mask.

Furthermore, since the surfaces have been used for many years, differences may occur depending on the age and condition of storage.

In addition to differences in color, decoration, and expression, they also have fading and scratches that give off a sense of history, and new, sparkling faces, and each time they meet, they look different. I don't know how many types there are, but it might be interesting to try looking for a strange tiger face!

lastly

The day before, on April 28th, the Hatsugo Festival Eve Festival was also held, with the fantastic tiger dance performed on the lit night.

Another feature of this festival is that the adults in town are just behind the scenes, and the main characters the children .

It is an honor for local elementary and junior high school students to be involved in the role of tiger, and auditions will be held not only for the role of tiger, but also for the flute and taiko drumming band!

The sight of the children practicing and taking the actual performance gives a sense of the local community's desire to preserve traditions across generations.