Yasaka Shrine Yamato Dance

Young girls wearing Miko robes and holding bells with five-colored cloth and scepters perform the Yamato dance at Yasaka Shrine (in Yanagimachi town) as an offering at the ritual festival every April. The dance originated on Mt. Haguro, and this traditional dance is said to be performed to pray for the safe and sound life of family and a bountiful harvest. “Yasaka Shrine Yamato Dance School” was started in February 2006 (18th year of Heisei period) for the sake of fostering performers for the next generation. As of 2017, twelve students in total, ranging from 2nd graders in elementary school to 2nd graders in junior high school, practice the performance about fourteen times a year. The Yamato Dance of Yanagimachi region is being handed down to them, and is performed at the town’s annual culture festivals, etc.