Yase Shamenchi Odori: A Dance of Gratitude

Overview

Boys dressed as maidens walk the streets at night wearing lanterns adorned with intricate, cut-paper designs on their heads. Girls perform a votive dance. This intriguing festival held in Yase, located at the foot of Mt. Hiei in Kyoto's northeast, dates back some 300 years when a Senior Councilor in the shogunate sided with the people of Yase in a land dispute, which occurred nearby. Discover the residents' enduring gratitude as they prepare to fete the Councilor, now revered as a deity.