🏮 Kemanai no Bon Odori

毛馬内の盆踊

Kazuno, Akita (十和田市民センター体育館) · Every year, 21–23 August

UNESCO Intangible Cultural HeritageImportant Intangible Folk Cultural PropertyBon odoriTraditional performing arts

341 days to go
Rooms around Kazuno, Akita fill up while the festival is on.

Kemanai no Bon Odori is held every year from August 21 to 23 in Towada Kemanai, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture. It is designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and was registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022. Along with the Nishimonai Bon Odori and Ichinichi Bon Odori, it is one of the three great bon dances of Akita Prefecture, and since its national designation in 1998 it has also been called the "Northern Bon." It is organized by the Kemanai Kita no Bon Executive Committee. The origin of the jinku odori (jinku dance) traces back to the Eiroku era, when Nanbu Nobunao drove out Ando Kiyosue and entertained his officers and soldiers at Kemanai. For the Onosaka odori, one theory holds that it has been passed down since around 1657, when Sakuraba Mitsuhide was transferred to this area, while another traces it to the lineage of nenbutsu odori from Kyoto. In this area, known as a production center for Nanbu horses, large drums made of horsehide are used, producing a taut, resonant tone. Bonfires are lit on the town streets, and the dance is performed in a long, thin circle. Following the yobidaiko (calling drum), the Onosaka odori, the jinku odori song, and the jonkara odori are performed in order to the accompaniment of fue (flute) music. Traditional costumes rich in local character, such as black montsuki with light blue kedashi and a bean-dyed tenugui face cover, are also a highlight; children's presentations and the Kazuno Furusato Odaiko Kyoen are also held.

Getting there

The venue is held with the Akita Prefectural Route 313 Yuzawa-Towada-Kemanai Line closed to traffic. About 2 km from Towada IC on the Tohoku Expressway via National Route 103 to National Route 282 (or the city road/old National Route 282). About 2 km from Towada-Minami Station on the JR East Hanawa Line.