[Dates: September 7th to 9th every year]
Nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property/UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
This festival is held over three days from September 7th to 9th at Kakunodate Shinmeisha and Yakushido Hall, and has a tradition of about 400 years.
Each Hikiyama parades through the town with the purpose of visiting Shinmeisha and Yakushi-do Shrine and viewing the Satake Kita family. If two Yamas meet each other along the way, they cannot easily pass each other.
Under the direction of the person in charge in each town, young people called negotiators negotiate over priority rights of passage. If the negotiations go well, they may cross paths, and if they fail, they may use force and engage in a ``mountain attack.''
The most common way to pull a mountain is to visit Kakunodate Shinmeisha on the evening of the 7th, visit the Satake Kita family on the 8th, visit Yamabutsuke for sightseeing in the evening, and visit Yakushido Hall of Jojuin Temple on the 9th.
After visiting Shinmeisha and Yakushido Hall, the Yamas' movements are no longer restricted, so after the evening of the 9th, most of the Yamas come out into the town and you can see a lively scene.
After midnight on the 9th, the number of Yamas negotiating over the right of way increases near the crossroads, and when the negotiations break down, a clash of forces begins, called the ``actual battle''.
Another highlight is the well-paced Kazariyamabayashi performed by musicians from each town and the elegant hand dance performed by Akita obako.
kakunodate no Omatsuri pamphlet ⇊
Precautions for viewing ⇊ Festival knowledge ⇊
(PDF284KB) (PDF359KB)
