F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-139
Amahage of Yuza
遊佐のアマハゲゆざのあまはげ
A visiting-deity rite held during the New Year (on January 1, 3, or 6, depending on the hamlet) in three hamlets — Megaa, Takinoura, and Torisaki — of the Fukura district of Yuza Town, Akumi District, Yamagata Prefecture. Young men clad in straw 'kendan' garments and wearing demon masks visit each house to admonish the lazy and bless the elderly with long life. Of the same lineage as Akita's Namahage, this is the Yamagata representative of a visiting-deity type distributed along the northern Japan Sea coast. A Nationally Designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property (as 'Yuza's Lesser-New-Year rites') and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage element under 'Raihō-shin: ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes'.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01Nationally Designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property ('Yuza's Lesser-New-Year rites')
- 02UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage element 'Raihō-shin: ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes'
- 03Distinctive costume of straw 'kendan' and demon masks
- 04Plural observance across three hamlets on different dates (January 1, 3, 6)
- 05The Yamagata representative of the same lineage as Akita's Namahage
D E E P D I V E
Deep Dive
R E F E R E N C E