🏮 Hatsuuma Matsuri

初午祭

Kirishima, Kagoshima (Kagoshima Shrine) · The Sunday following the 18th day of the first lunar month

Traditional performing arts

Hatsuuma Festival at Kagoshima Shrine in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, differs from the Hatsuuma festivals held at Inari shrines nationwide: it is known for its suzukake uma odori (bell-decorated horse dance) and has a strong local character. It is held on the Sunday following the 18th day of the first lunar month, and in recent years draws over 100,000 visitors. The origin dates to the Muromachi period, when the local lord Shimazu Takahisa was supervising the rebuilding of Kagoshima Shrine. It began when the horse-headed Kannon appeared to him in a dream. Priests, monks, and Nisshu also had the same dream, so Shofuku-in Kannon Hall was built on Shishio Hill, and the 18th day of the first lunar month, when the dream occurred, was established as the festival day. The highlight is the suzukake uma odori. About 20 horses provided by local volunteers are fitted with chest ornaments made of strings of bells and saddles decorated with flowers and brocade; accompanied by bells, drums, and shamisen music, they are made to step in place so the horses appear to dance. Behind the horses, a procession of dozens of dancers follows, parading along the approach. In the past, this was an event to pray for the health of horses and a good harvest, but today it also carries the meaning of business prosperity and warding off misfortune. In 2002, this custom was selected as a nationally designated intangible folk cultural property requiring documentation and other measures, as the 'Satsuma horse dance custom.'

Getting there

Car: About 25 minutes from Mizobe-Kagoshima Airport IC on the Kyushu Expressway, and about 15 minutes from Hayato-Nishi IC on the Higashikyushu Expressway. Train: About 15 minutes on foot from JR Hayato Station. There are traffic restrictions in the surrounding area; use of public transportation is recommended.