Festival/Event Name: A bald Shiba lamp festival
Prefecture: Akita Prefecture
Area Name: OGA City

A three-day festival that allows you to indulge in the most fishy

One of the Michinoku Great Snow Festival, which is held with a bald face and dressed in straw costumes, is centered on “bald”.This festival is representative of the OGA Winter held at the Mt. Kitaura Shrine in the Oga City, Akita Prefecture.This is a sightseeing event that combines the folk traditions of “the Shiba Lantern Festival” held on January 3 every year and New Year’s Eve.Grilled a large rice cake with firewood and branches of shrubs in the precincts of the Mt. Good health shrine to the fire, and the dedication to pray for the safety of the village, the disease, and the harvest.The festival, which began in 1963, is held every year for three days of the second Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February.

A powerful dance and Japanese drums liven up the venue

The two sacred rituals of the “good Health Festival”, which are dedicated to the exorcism Kagura of the OGA region, and the bamboo soaked in hot water sprinkled with the worshippers and pray for the disease, are the start of the “Bald Chai Lantern Festival”.After that, the young people dressed in the shape of a bald man received the face of God, ritual to incarnate “intimacy”, to recreate the New Year’s Eve in the OGA City [reproduction of the Bald event], to attract the audience in a powerful dance “bald Dance”, The hall is wrapped in a completely bald color, followed by a brave “bald drum” that was established as a new local performing arts.

The light that floats in the snow is a fantastic climax.

The climax of the “Raw Shiba Lantern Festival” is “bald descent” and “consecrated”.While the drums were ringing, the magical bald that held up the torch emerged from the darkness, and the fantastic figure coming down from the Snow mountain was impressive.The following “has” is a ritual which Shizuru a large Goma rice cake to God and is a messenger of God.It is said that the god power dwells in the big rice cake burnt by the priest’s dedicate Shiba light, and the rice cake carved to the spectator is distributed.It is not possible to eat mochi, but because there is profit as a talisman for disaster removal, let’s take it by all means.

What is the important intangible folk cultural property of “Oga’s baldness”?

On New Year’s Eve, “Yes, the crying child!”Lazy ine!and paraded each house while raising the yell, exorcism the misfortune, warn the mind slacking “bald”.It is familiar to the people of OGA as a god who comes at once a certain time of year, bringing about a disease-good health, bountiful harvest, good catch, and epidemic elimination.In the OGA, there are still some 80 neighborhood events in the town, and the “bald” side of the village varies depending on the community.That number is over 150!It is one of the traditions Japan designated as important intangible folk cultural assets in 1978.

A precious place where the where of OGA is brought together

If you want to know more about the baldness, go to the “Bald House”.I introduce the history and manners of OGA in the theme of the bald.Among them, 100 of the body of the bald, and lined the surface of the 150 pieces of the bald “bald array Corner” is compelling.The surface that has been gathered from all over the OGA is rich in design and variety so as not to think the same bald, and truly unique.There is also a “bald makeover corner” where you can wear a real, raw costume, and you can feel the raw baldness.

Festival/Event Name the Bald Shiba Lamp Festival
Date: Feb. 2nd Fri., Sat., Sun. 18:00-8:30 p.m.
Venue-Mt. Jinja Shrine
Tel. 0185-24-9220 (OGA City Tourism Division)
Free of charge Tour
Access approx. 40 minutes by temporary bus from “Oga Station” near Jr OGA Station
(¥500 per adult, free for high school students)
URL www.oganavi.com/sedo/