Hachinohe Enburi

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Dates: February 17th-20th
Place: Shinra Jinja Shrine, Hachinohe Public Hall, the stage in front of the City Office, in Hachinohe City,
City: Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture

Dancers called tayu, flute-players, drummers, players sounding bells known as kane and singers form groups of 10-30 members which parade through the city. Every year, over 30 groups including children's groups wearing colorful costumes participate in this event. This is a festival praying for a rich harvest, and in the old days the dancers used to carry farm tools called eburi when performing their dance. Enburi, the name of this festival, is believed to have derived from this eburi.

The dances, expressing scenes of farm work, consist of two types: the naga-enburi which is performed slowly, and the gallant dosai- enburi which is performed in a lively tempo. After paying a visit to the Shinra Jinja early in the morning on the 17th, the groups set off on their parades. They all wear large hats called eboshi. The eboshi of the tayu dancers is designed in the shape of a horse's neck, for a horse was considered indispensable in farm work.

During the festival, you can enjoy seeing all kinds of enburi in different situations, such as the gozen enburi which was formerly performed in the palace of the feudal lord and the kagaribi enburi which is performed while making a bonfire at night. If you wish to take a good look, it is best to visit Hachinohe Public Hall.

Enburi, also known as a festival signaling the arrival of spring, is an event expressing the great longing for spring's arrival by the inhabitants of the northern district.

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Japan Tourism