Home > SHIGA 滋賀県 > Koka 甲賀市 > Kenketo Matsuri Festival and Odori Dance ケンケト祭・踊り

ke200-20100503_0053.jpg
Held on May 3 by Tagi Jinja Shrine (龍樹神社) in Tsuchiyama, the Kenketo Matsuri Festival is highlighted by the Kenketo Odori Dance. The road to the shrine is marked with festival banners.
ke201-20100503_0047.jpg
Path to the shrine. The shrine is in Maeno in Tsuchiyama. MAPThis Kenketo Odori Dance has been inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022 as one of Japan's furyu-odori (風流踊) ritual dances.
ke202-20100503_0049.jpg
Large sacred tree.
ke203-20100503_0045.jpg
Torii to Tagi Jinja.
ke204-20100503_0006.jpg
About Tagi Shrine. The shrine was established to protect the area from flooding by two nearby rivers. Thus it is near the river.
ke205-20100503_0018.jpg
Steps going up to the shrine. The Kenketo procession will go up these steps to enter the shrine.
ke206-20100503_0016.jpg
Behind the shrine is Yasu River which apparently often flooded the area in the old days. 野洲川
ke207-20100503_0017.jpg
Yasu River.
ke208-20100503_0009.jpg
Tagi Shrine is amid tea fields. Tsuchiyama is a major tea-producing area.
ke209-20100503_0014.jpg
Another path to Tagi Jinja Shrine in Tsuchiyama, Shiga.
ke210-20100503_0019.jpg
This is the area (called baba 馬場) where the Kenketo Odori will be performed. The boys will proceed up this path toward the shrine, while a crowd will watch on both sides.
ke211-20100503_0020.jpg
Tagi Shrine's closest bus stop is Higashi Maeno. Buses run from Kibukawa Station.
ke212-20100503_0022.jpg
Haiden Hall was rebuilt anew in 2005.
ke213-20100503_0029.jpg
Haiden Hall on the right and children's mikoshi on the left.
ke214-20100503_0030.jpg
Honden Halls beyond the fence.
ke215-20100503_0031.jpg
Bull statue
ke216-20100503_0038.jpg
Tagi Jinja actually consists of two shrines. One is this Tagi Daimyojin-no-Miya Shrine mainly dedicated to a god called Haya-akitsu-Hiko-no-Mikoto (速秋津比古之命) and Haya-akitsu-Hime-no-Mikoto (速秋津比 之命). 龍樹大明神宮
ke217-20100503_0034.jpg
Tagi Daimyojin-no-Miya Shrine is dedicated to the water god, for protection against floods. Long ago, nearby rivers often flooded this area. 龍樹大明神宮
ke218-20100503_0032.jpg
The other shrine is Tenmangu dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, god of scholarly learning. Popular with students. 天満宮
ke219-20100503_0033.jpg
Tenmangu Shrine in Tsuchiyama, Shiga. 天満宮
ke220-20100503_0036.jpg
The main halls of both shrines: Tagi Daimyojin-no-Miya on the right and Tenmangu on the left. In 2005, both these shrine buildings were rebuilt anew. They look very new and nice.
ke220c-kenketotsuchiyama.youtube
My YouTube video of the Kenketo Odori Festival.
ke221-20100503_0056.jpg
At the Otabisho in Maeno at around 1 pm, they hold a ceremony. Then the Kenketo procession, led by the shrine priest, head for Tagi Shrine.
ke222-20100503_0060.jpg
ke223-20100503_0062.jpg
Kenketo dancers, wearing peacock feathers, are carried on shoulders.
ke224-20100503_0065.jpg
Kenketo procession passing by tea field.
ke225-20100503_0068.jpg
ke226-20100503_0070.jpg
After going up the steps, the procession reached the shrine at about 1:45 pm.
ke227-20100503_0072.jpg
Behind the shrine priest are three festival umbrellas. 三基の傘鉾(日、月、矢)
ke228-20100503_0077.jpg
After the festival umbrellas, the young boys started their kenketo odori dance on the baba area. 馬場踊り
ke229-20100503_0086.jpg
Kenketo Odori is a dance performed by eight boys aged 7 to 12. The dance was originally started to ward off calamities. The boys wear tall peacock feathers on their heads.
ke230-20100503_0090.jpg
They dance to live music with drums, bell, and flute. The Kenketo Odori dance of Tagi Shrine is a National Intangible Folk Cultural Property. 国選択無形民俗文化財
ke231-20100503_0094.jpg
Kenketo Odori Dance at Tagi Jinja Shrine in Tsuchiyama, Shiga Prefecture.
ke232-20100503_0096.jpg
They perform the baba odori kenketo dance at the baba area.
ke233-20100503_0097.jpg
Shrine parishioners from three districts (Maeno, Iwamuro, and Tokuhara (前野、徳原と甲賀町岩室) around the shrine participate in the Kenketo Matsuri. Each district takes turns providing the boys who dance each year.
ke234-20100503_0101.jpg
Kenketo Odori dance at Tagi Shrine, Tsuchiyama, Shiga.
ke235-20100503_0107.jpg
Besides the two baton twirlers at the front, there are these boys who play the drums and bell. They just danced across the baba once and stopped.
ke236-20100503_0109.jpg
Up they go on human shoulders.
ke237-20100503_0116.jpg
The kenketo dancers are put on men's shoulders whenever they are not dancing.
ke238-20100503_0118.jpg
Kenketo dancer, Shiga
ke239-20100503_0120.jpg
Kenketo dancers wearing peacock, pheasant and other bird feathers. Their feathered cap is called shagama. シャガマ
ke240-20100503_0121.jpg
ke241-20100503_0123.jpg
The next part of the festival featured numerous hanagasa flower umbrellas stuffed with little goodies.
ke242-20100503_0130.jpg
The first hanagasa went directly to the kenketo dancers. They pulled out the little sticks attached with things like towels, gloves, and maybe some cash.
ke243-20100503_0143.jpg
The fun part of the festival was when the hanagasa is offered to the crowd who fight over the spoils of the flower umbrella.
ke244-20100503_0145.jpg
They knock down the flower umbrella and people rush in to grab something. They repeated this several times. This part of the festival is called Hanabai (花ばい).
ke245-20100503_0147.jpg
ke246-20100503_0150.jpg
ke247-20100503_0156.jpg
ke248-20100503_0171.jpg
ke249-20100503_0176.jpg
Once in a while, a flower umbrella was dedicated only to the kenketo dancers so it went directly to them. There are 20 flower sticks on these flower umbrellas.
ke250-20100503_0188.jpg
These kenketo dancers got a lot of goodies. They deserve it since they practiced hard for the dance.
ke251-20100503_0189.jpg
ke252-20100503_0191.jpg
ke253-20100503_0195.jpg
This flower umbrella came all the way to where I was.
ke254-20100503_0198.jpg
It's a real frenzy. I managed to pick up a plastic flower.
ke255-20100503_0218.jpg
ke256-20100503_0219.jpg
ke257-20100503_0223.jpg
ke258-20100503_0227.jpg
ke259-20100503_0232.jpg
ke260-20100503_0233.jpg
Also see my video at YouTube.
ke261-20100503_0235.jpg
ke262-20100503_0241.jpg
ke263-20100503_0242.jpg
Kenketo dancer and his reward.
ke264-20100503_0245.jpg
The boys were then taken to the shrine.
ke265-20100503_0248.jpg
First, in front of Tagi Daimyojin-no-Miya Shrine, they danced and then danced around the shrine building a few times.
ke266-20100503_0260.jpg
ke267-20100503_0282.jpg
Kenketo dancers dancing around Tagi Daimyojin-no-Miya Shrine.
ke268-20100503_0286.jpg
ke269-20100503_0289.jpg
ke270-20100503_0300.jpg
ke271-20100503_0301.jpg
ke272-20100503_0311.jpg
ke273-20100503_0314.jpg
ke274-20100503_0316.jpg
The boys were then taken to the other shrine.
ke275-20100503_0318.jpg
The boys are taken to Tenmangu Shrine.
ke276-20100503_0322.jpg
They danced in front of Tenmangu Shrine, then danced around the shrine a few times.
ke277-20100503_0330.jpg
ke278-20100503_0333.jpg
ke279-20100503_0336.jpg
ke280-20100503_0345.jpg
Also see my video at YouTube.
ke281-20100503_0352.jpg
ke282-20100503_0358.jpg
ke283-20100503_0362.jpg
ke284-20100503_0367.jpg
ke285-20100503_0369.jpg
ke286-20100503_0374.jpg
ke287-20100503_0380.jpg
ke288-20100503_0389.jpg
Also see my video at YouTube.
ke289-20100503_0395.jpg
ke290-20100503_0398.jpg
Due to the tall peacock feathers, the boys have to put their head down when going through the gate.
ke291-20100503_0399.jpg
ke292-20100503_0403.jpg
Festival spectators
ke293-20100503_0407.jpg
They dance again in front of the shrine office. 社務所前で宮踊り
ke294-20100503_0414.jpg
Then they took a break and most people left. After the break at 4 pm, they danced again at the baba and went to the Otabisho near Yasu River where a ceremony was held. The portable shrines are also carried around.
ke295-20100503_0415.jpg
Festival waste material.
ke296-20100503_0040.jpg
Kenketo Odori poster. The word "kenketo" is written in katakana, but the kanji is written as 献鶏頭 which is not accurate in meaning. It was just made up. No one is sure what kenketo means in Japanese.
   
98 files on 1 page(s)