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the Akita Prefecture event " Kamakura ," many will think of the heartwarming "Yokote Kamakura " held in Yokote City, where children gather in a dome made of snow to enjoy rice cakes, sweet red bean soup, tea, and other delicacies.
On the other hand, an event in which people split into two groups and poke each other with long bamboo sticks around a bonfire that produces a huge pillar of fire is also called "kamakura."
Rokugo Kamakura preserves the original form of the Kamakura festival
" Rokugo no Kamakura ," is a traditional event held in Misato Town during the Little New Year period, dating back 700 years. In the past, the Yokote Kamakura also had more religious ceremonies and customs than it does today, but now only the snow domes remain, and it has become a tourist attraction.
The Rokugo Kamakura takes place over a period of about four days, with preparations following traditional customs for the main events, such as bamboo beating and Tenhitsu firing
Although snow domes like those in Yokote are not built here, the entire five-day event is still called "Kamakura." This is considered to be the original form of the "Kamakura" event, and the "Rokugo Kamakura Event" has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan
The official name of the Kamakura held in Rokugo is "Rokugo no Kamakura," but according to the Misato Town Commerce, Tourism and Exchange Division, the reason it is written in katakana as "Kamakura" is that when it was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the national government in 1982 (Showa 57), the designated name was written as "Rokugo no Kamakura Event," and since then the official name has been written in katakana
During the Edo period, it appeared in documents as "Kamakura," and from the Meiji period onwards it was written as "Kamakura."
Rokugo Kamakura, a New Year's event, will be held from February 10th to 14th in 2026
Rokugo Kamakura is held over five days during the Little New Year (Koshogatsu) as a milestone event to mark the end of the New Year and to say, " New Year's is over, let's get to work ." Currently, the schedule is set so that the final day, "Bamboo Beating," falls on a Saturday in mid-February. In 2026, it will be held on Saturday, February 14th.
In the old calendar, January 1st was designated as the "new moon day," and was not a fixed date like the current (solar calendar) calendar
Therefore, if we apply January 1st of the lunar calendar to the current calendar, it falls somewhere between late January and mid-February (on the day of the new moon in between). This is why the date of National Day, which celebrates the Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar, changes every year
In Japan, the relationship between the Gregorian calendar and the old calendar is not often considered so strictly, and January 1st on the old calendar is fixed as February 1st, with Ko-Shogatsu being around February 15th (although there are also events that are held around January 15th, two weeks after the current January 1st, as Ko-Shogatsu)
Let's return to the topic of "Kamakura in Rokugo."
The Rokugo Kamakura festival will be held for five days, from February 10th to February 14th in 2026
The first day is the " kura-biraki " ceremony. During the Edo period, landlords would close their storehouses during the New Year holidays, and rice would not be available in the village. It was only during the Little New Year that the storehouses were finally opened and the rice was released. This "kura-biraki" ceremony signaled the start of the "kamakura" festival. This custom is generally known as "kagami-biraki."
Tenhitsu, an important event at Rokugo Kamakura. The countless Tenhitsu dancing in the sky are a seasonal sight during the Little New Year
On the first day, another important event begins: Tenpitsu people write their wishes on a Tenpitsu, a piece of specially made colored paper joined vertically in the following order: green, yellow, red, white, and blue (this color order is called " right-legged calligraphy "). The length of a single Tenpitsu varies from person to person, but it's generally around 3-5m. The text to be written on it is generally set, and people write their own wishes on it.
The following characters are written in the <Tenhitsu> .
"Dedicated to Kamakura Daimyojin Shrine, Heavenly Brush Harmony, Earthly Happiness, XXX Happiness. At the beginning of the new year, I will take up my brush and draw all sorts of treasures. Auspicious day in the New Year of the Rabbit. Name: □□□□. Respectfully submitted." (Write your wish as XXX Happiness.)
Who is Kamakura Daimyojin, the god who appears only in the Kamakura event?
Among the words written on this Tenhitsu pen is the name " Kamakura Daimyojin ." Who is this god that few people have heard of?
refers to Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa , who is said to have played an active role in the Gosannen War (1083-1087) that broke out in the late Heian period
Kamakura Gongoro Kagesa was a samurai who came from Kamakura-go, Sagami Province (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture) to accompany Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039-1106), one of the main players in the Gosannen War. There is an anecdote that, at just 16 years old, he fought bravely despite being hit in the right eye by an enemy arrow
It is true that Kamakura Gongoro Kagesada was a brave warrior, but he was not a particularly heroic or great man. However, he is enshrined not only as the god of the Rokugo Kamakura, but also as the god of many Kamakura festivals that are (or were) handed down in Akita Prefecture
Perhaps he was a person who achieved something beyond what has been passed down through legend, but there is no way to know now
The Tenhitsu are displayed in the town for three days, and on the final day they are gathered together and burned in a grand ceremony
Kamakura Daimyojin is enshrined as the local deity in a snow room in each neighborhood, which serves as a play area for children to keep warm. The snow rooms are called " bird-chasing huts " and were originally built for an event called "torioi" (bird-chasing), which originated from the act of chasing away harmful birds that were damaging fields. They are not dome-shaped and completely surrounded by snow like the "Yokote Kamakura."
It is surrounded by a square wall of snow, and the roof is reinforced and covered with straw or bamboo fences. Some villages have built snow houses called "Yukimiya" near the "Torioigoya," but these have only been built several decades ago and were not originally part of the event
Once the Tenhitsu is finished, it is tied to the end of a bamboo pole about 7 to 8 meters long and set up outside
The " Raising of Tenhitsu " festival begins on the second day, in preparation for the "Firing of Tenhitsu" festival on the final day. During this time, the town becomes lively with events such as markets. The sight of the many Tenhitsu hoisted along the roadside, fluttering in the wind, is a seasonal sight at "Rokugo Kamakura."
The final night will be filled with excitement with Tenhitsu-yaki and Takeuchi
Rokugo Kamakura is an event that prayer festivalsTosigoiExorcism (to ward off bad harvests and misfortune ); and "Toshourai" (to predict the fortunes of the coming year ).
The Tenhitsu is a way to pray for the New Year, and the Torioi is to drive away evil spirits, but the Takeuchi, which takes place on the final day, is truly a way to tell fortunes about the New Year. People fight desperately to make sure that the year will be a good one
The sound of the shells ringing out "bohe, bohe" echoes throughout the room, and the Tenhitsu-yaki and Takeuchi (bamboo beating) rituals finally begin
The bamboo pounding will begin around 8pm on the final day, and preparations will be made during the day on the final day
The "bamboo beating" takes place in the town square, "Kamakura Field," where New Year's decorations such as Tenhitsu (calligraphy brushes), Shimenawa (sacred ropes), and pine decorations that were hanging in the center are gathered and made into two piles
These mountains Matsunio , and preparations are complete with a shimenawa rope stretched between the two Matsunio. Afterwards, activities such as pounding rice cakes are carried out, and in the evening, the sound of a conch shell, " bohe, bohe, " echoes through the town. This sound is produced by blowing into a kigai, a long wooden instrument made from two connected buckets, and is said to have originated from sake brewing in Rokugo.
This Bohee is the signal for the departure ceremony of the "Takeuchi" (bamboo thumpers), and men from each neighborhood march toward the Kamakura field, carrying long green bamboo poles measuring about 7 to 8 meters
The third round of the "Bamboo Fight" competition was a battle between the rising flames of the "Tenhitsu-yaki" pottery
The men gathered at Kamakura Field, splitting into north and south groups separated by Matsunioni, and waited for the signal to start battle
The first round of the "Bamboo Beating" begins with the sound of a loud siren. The "Bamboo Beating" is a three-round match. As the bamboos are struck at each other with incredible force, the sounds of the bamboos hitting each other, the cheers of the crowd, and the constant ringing of the shells all blend together in a noisy atmosphere, and the first round ends in about five minutes. After the first round, there is a short break, followed by the second round. At this point, the winner is not decided
After the second round, the Tenhitsu Yaki event begins. Tenhitsu Yaki is an event in which two Matsunioni are set on fire and people add Tenhitsu to the fire while praying for a good year
As a pillar of flame several meters high rises from Matsunioni and the whole area turns bright red, the third round of the "bamboo smash" begins, which will decide the winner. The fierce battle with Matsunioni in between reaches its climax, and excitement reaches its peak. It is said that more than 1,000 green bamboo stalks are used in the "bamboo smash", and the battle ends when they run out
At the end, the judges, the Kamakura Preservation Society, make the decision. If the North wins, it will mean a good harvest, and if the South wins, the price of rice will rise
Kamakura Information in Rokugo
Event name: Rokugo Kamakura Event
Cultural property designation: Nationally designated important intangible folk cultural property
Public transportation: Take the Akita Shinkansen, JR Ou Main Line, or Tazawako Line from Omagari to Rokugo or Yokote by bus for approximately 20 minutes, then get off at the Rokugo-Kamimachi bus stop and walk for approximately 5 minutes
By car: Approximately 15 minutes from Omagari IC on the Akita Expressway
My love of travel led me to work for a travel magazine some time ago, and now I work as a travel writer for an online publication. I have visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, focusing on the Tohoku region, and I enjoy soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture, including old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts
