🏮

🏮 Nou Mai

能舞

Higashidori, Aomori (Kumano Shrine) · Every year on 1 January

Traditional performing arts

109 days to go
Rooms around Higashidori, Aomori fill up while the festival is on.

Noumai, passed down in 14 settlements of Higashidori Village, Aomori Prefecture, is a typical form of Shugendo nou that strongly preserves the appearance of medieval performing arts. It was transmitted from Mena Fudo-in at the end of the 15th century and has been inherited within the village, centered on that temple. In 1989 it was designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The repertoire is divided into categories such as Gongen Mai, ceremonial dances, and warrior dances, and Noumai performances begin with formal dances consisting of Torimai, Kagomai, Okina, and Sanbaso. The representative piece Kanemaki depicts the supernatural powers of a Shugendo practitioner and is based on the legend of Dojo-ji in Kishu. Events held throughout the year are also a distinctive feature. On New Year's Day, Kadouchi, in which performers go around to each household, and Yagatame for newly built houses are held, praying for the expulsion of evil and a bountiful harvest. In September, Gongen Mai is dedicated at shrine festivals in each settlement, and traditions deeply tied to local faith continue to thrive today.