Yamaage Matsuri

What Is the Yamaage Matsuri?

The Yamaage Matsuri is a votive event of the grand annual festival held each summer at Yakumo Shrine in Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi Prefecture. Known as a festival of mobile open-air kabuki without parallel even nationwide, it involves assembling outdoors a giant stage backdrop called "yamaage"—made of many layers of washi paper pasted together—and dedicating the kabuki dance "Tokiwazu" before it. With a history of some 460 years, it is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and is also inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list as one of the "Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals."

History and Origins

The Yamaage Matsuri is said to have begun in 1560, when the lord of Karasuyama Castle invited the enshrinement of Yakumo Shrine and prayed for the dispelling of epidemics and abundant harvests. Initially, sumo and kagura were dedicated, but in the Edo period the dedication of kabuki dance was added, and the "yamaage" developed as the backdrop to color it. The "yama" is a giant background painting made of layers of washi paper made from the Nasu kōzo (paper mulberry) special to Karasuyama, and from "raising" (erecting) this, the name "yamaage" arose. It is a proud traditional event that has been handed down for about 460 years by the hands of local people.

Highlights

The greatest attraction is the open-air kabuki dance that unfolds before the giant "yama" assembled outdoors. The sight of washi backdrops over ten meters tall and large props such as the harika-yama and a mansion being skillfully assembled in a short time, with the town's streets transforming in an instant into a kabuki stage, is breathtaking. Against that grand stage, graceful Tokiwazu dance is dedicated. Being "mobile," repeatedly reassembling the stage while moving from place to place, is also a feature unique to this festival. It is a rewarding festival in which artisanship and performing art become one.

When It Takes Place

The festival is typically held over three days from the fourth Friday of July in summer in the city center of Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi Prefecture. As a votive event of the summer grand festival, its season is summer. Because the locations and dates of the yamaage and the kabuki dance performances vary from year to year, visitors are advised to confirm details in advance through official announcements from Nasukarasuyama City and the local preservation society and tourism association.

Access

The city center of Nasukarasuyama is within walking distance of Karasuyama Station on the JR Karasuyama Line. It can be accessed via the JR Karasuyama Line from Utsunomiya Station. By car, nearby parking is available, but because traffic restrictions are imposed in the city center during the festival, public transport is recommended.

Around the Area

Nasukarasuyama is a richly natural town blessed with the clear waters of the Naka River, known for ayu (sweetfish) fishing and scenic spots such as the Ryūmon Falls. At the "Yamaage Hall," where one can experience the history and charm of the Yamaage Matsuri all year round, visitors can see demonstrations such as a miniature yamaage. Relatively close to the Nasu highlands and the Mashiko ware pottery village, it is an area where one can savor the nature, history, and culture of Tochigi. Together with the summer Yamaage Matsuri, one can enjoy the pastoral charm of the Naka River basin.

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