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Many folk performing arts and traditional events have been handed down in Akita Prefecture. "Sasara Dance" (or "Sasara") is one of them, and has been handed down throughout Akita, mainly in the Kitaakita region (in this article, we will refer to it as "Sasara Dance" except in special cases).
"Sasara Dance" and "Lion Dance" are performed in over 60 villages in Akita Prefecture
Sasara Dance was previously performed in over 100 villages in Akita Prefecture, but a survey conducted by the Center for Regional Environmental Studies at Akita International University in 2013 (Heisei 25) as part of the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Regional Traditional Culture Comprehensive Revitalization Project recorded nearly 60 instances of Sasara Dance, as well as the Shishi Dance, which is thought to be the prototype of Sasara Dance. (Unfortunately, a resurvey in 2021 (Reiwa 3) found that six more locations had ceased performance.)
In "Sasara Dance 1," we summarized the history of the lion dance, which is said to be the prototype of "Sasara Dance," as well as the etymology of the word "sasara." Here, we will look into the "Sasara Dance" before and after it was introduced to Akita Prefecture
Information
"Sasara Dance" and "Lion Dance" confirmed in Akita Prefecture [Akita Performing Arts Archives (2013)]
On the way from his hometown to Akita, his retainers performed the Sasara Dance to cheer up the disappointed lord
There are various theories about when the "Lion Dance" was introduced to Akita Prefecture, including the Kamakura period and the early Edo period, but the "Sasara Dance" is unified by one legend. This legend is related to the transfer of the Satake clan from Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture) to Akita
After Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of Japan, he exiled local lords who rebelled against him to faraway lands from Edo, one of which was the Satake clan, a lord of Hitachi Province. In 1602, the 19th head of the Satake clan, Satake Yoshinobu (1570-1633, first lord of the Kubota Domain), set off on a journey with his family and retainers from his hometown of Hitachi Province to the northern countryside of Akita, far from Edo. On the journey, the head of the family was depressed by disappointment and anxiety, and to comfort him, his retainers performed the "sasara" traditional Japanese folk song of Hitachi
In Ibaraki Prefecture, there remains a "sasara" dance that is thought to be the root of the "sasara dance" of Akita Prefecture
Even today, in Ibaraki Prefecture, the "Asakawa Sasara" (Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture Designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property), the "Hanazono Sasara" (Kitaibaraki City, Kitaibaraki City Designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property), the "Hitachi Sasara" (Hitachi City, Hitachi City Designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property), and the "Okushi Sasara Bayashi" (Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture Designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property) are handed down and performed as annual events. Ibaraki's "Sasara" is a heroic three-lion dance with a style almost identical to Akita's "Sasara Dance," and it is generally believed that Akita's "Sasara Dance" undoubtedly has its roots in Ibaraki's "Sasara."
"Joshu Shimogogu Sasaragaku" is said to have been first performed for the local residents in Akita
it is said that the first performance of the dance to the local residents by foot soldiers of the Kubota domain Ontomo Sasara"Noshiro City's Ogidadoji . It then spread east along the Ushu Kaido road built along the Yoneshiro River, and became a widely performed dance in the Kitaakita region.
It seems that "Joshu Shimogoku Sasaraku" was originally called "Joshu Shimogoku Lion Dance." However, at some point it came to be called "Sasara." However, it is not clear why it came to be called "Sasara."
"Sasara" generally refers to the name of a musical instrument used in kagura and lion dances since ancient times, but the instrument "sasara" is not used in "Joshu Shimogoku Sasara." Not only in "Joshu Shimogoku Sasara," but in many of the remaining "Sasara Dances" in Akita Prefecture, "sasara" does not exist. So why did it come to be called "sasara"? It is said that it is because the sound of the costumes worn by the three lions, the main performers, rustling as they dance vigorously, sounds like "sasara."
Akita Prefecture also has a dance called "Sasara Dance" that uses the musical instrument "Sasara."
However, among the many "Sasara Dances," there are some that, like the "Shiraiwa Sasara," are handed down in Kakunodate and Tazawako (Semboku City), which are far from the settlements along the Yoneshiro River, that use the musical instrument "sasara."The "sasara" used is called "binzasara (a kind of bamboo)," which is made by connecting short pieces of bamboo, and a clown enters the middle of the three lions' heroic dance, playing the "binzasara" and livening up the atmosphere with light-hearted, almost mocking movements
The "sasara" instrument was not used in the "sasara" of Ibaraki Prefecture either
Kakunodate is quite far from the Kitaakita region, so one might think that the "Sasara Dance" is a different style from the "Joshu Shimogoku Sasaragaku." However, legend has it that the "Sasara Dance" of the Kakunodate region also originated from the Satake clan's Akita journey. Why did different "Sasara Dances" come from the same roots? We wondered whether there were two forms of "Sasara" in Ibaraki Prefecture, the origin of the "Sasara Dance." We inquired with Ibaraki Prefecture and were told, "The various forms of "Sasara" that are handed down in Ibaraki Prefecture do not use the instrument "Sasara." There is no record of the instrument being used in the past." In other words, the "Sasara Dance" performed for the Satake lord did not use the instrument "Sasara." In Ibaraki Prefecture, the "Sanbiki Shishimai" dance was named "Sasara" to represent the sound of the dancers' clothing rustling. So, why does the "Binzasara" instrument appear in the "Sasara Dance" of the Kakunodate region?
The current situation is that there are no clear documents to explain this mystery, but there are still remains of the "Sasara Lion Dance" that may provide some clues to solving the mystery, mainly in the Kanto region
"Sasara Lion Dance" is a tradition passed down throughout the metropolitan area
Akita Prefecture's "Sasara Dance" is based on the traditional performing arts of Ibaraki Prefecture, the birthplace of the Satake lord, but lion dances centered around three lions, similar to "Sasara Dance," remain widely practiced throughout the Tokyo metropolitan area, including Yamanashi Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture. Many of these are called "Sasara Lion Dance" or simply "Lion Dance."
The "Sasara Lion Dance" (designated an intangible folk cultural asset by Yamanashi Prefecture) of the Okutama region (Okutama Town, Tokyo and Tabayama Village, Yamanashi Prefecture) is a lion dance that has been performed at shrine festivals since the Edo period. Like the "Sasara Dance," it centers around a heroic dance performed by three lions. The musical instrument "sasara" plays an important role in the "Sasara Lion Dance" of the Okutama region. Four performers wearing flower hats that add color to the dance of the three lions strike the sasaras they hold in their hands. However, unlike the "binzasara" used in the "Sasara Dance" of Kakunodate, these "sasara" are "suri sasara" (bo sasara), which produces sound by rubbing or hitting two sticks together
The lion dance featuring three lions that is now practiced in various areas of the greater Tokyo metropolitan area is often said to have been introduced by people who came from Edo during the Edo period. It is not known when or from where it was introduced to Edo, but one theory is that a popular dance featuring three lions that was performed in Kyoto (Furyu Odori) was introduced to Kanto (Edo) around the Muromachi period through the early Edo period, where it became extremely popular and spread to the greater Tokyo area and other areas. It is interesting that this dance was introduced to Akita Prefecture by chance when the lord of the domain was transferred to another province
My love of travel grew, and I used to write a travel magazine, and now I'm a travel writer for the web. During my research, I visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, mainly in the Tohoku region, but my fun part is soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture such as old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts.
![Changzhou Shimo-Godō Sasarak 1_Noshiro City](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAJYAAACWAQAAAAAUekxPAAAAAnRSTlMAAHaTzTgAAAAaSURBVEjH7cExAQAAAMKg9U9tDQ+gAACAdwMLuAABXZHjmQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg== "[Akita's Sasara Dance: Part 1] The roots of "Sasara Dance"? The hints are "lion dance" and "sasara"")
![Changzhou Shimo-Godō Sasarak 1_Noshiro City](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2470809d4123e66248db3432333759c1-150x150.jpg.webp "[Akita's Sasara Dance: Part 1] The roots of "Sasara Dance"? The hints are "lion dance" and "sasara"")
![deer dance](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20752-EDIT-150x150.jpg.webp "Date and the Southern folk entertainment "Shika Dance" | Local report on Sasara Hall's closure project [Iwate Prefecture]")
