🏮 Totsukawa no Odori

十津川の大踊り

Totsukawa, Nara (Obara, Musashi, and Nishikawa Districts) · Every year on 13 August

UNESCO Intangible Cultural HeritageImportant Intangible Folk Cultural PropertyBon odori

333 days to go
Rooms around Totsukawa, Nara fill up while the festival is on.

Totsukawa no Odori is a traditional Bon dance passed down by the Totsukawa Village Ohara Musashi Nishikawa Odori Preservation Society, held in the three districts of Ohara, Musashi, and Nishikawa in Totsukawa Village, Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, every year from August 13 to 15. Rooted in nenbutsu odori (Buddhist invocation dance), it is held on a rotating basis by district, and has long been maintained by local people. The highlight of the dance is that performers dance while switching between items such as a bachi (drumstick) with a beautiful tassel, a drum, a fan, and a kiriko toro (cut-glass lantern) in time with the music. It begins quietly, proceeds to a slow song, and the drum tempo gradually speeds up. As the speed increases, the dance grows more intense, and it finishes with a powerful dance that captivates onlookers.