F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-147
weird
Kaminoyama Folk Rite: Kasedori
上山市民俗行事 加勢鳥かみのやましみんぞくぎょうじ かせどり
D A T E2026-02-11
A visiting-deity-style folk rite transmitted in Kaminoyama, Yamagata since the early Edo period. Young men don a straw-cape 'kendai' that covers them entirely, becoming 'kasedori' (literally 'help-birds'), and process out from the plaza in front of Kaminoyama Castle's main gate through the city. Townspeople along the route vigorously pour celebratory water on them, praying for abundant harvest, business prosperity, fire prevention, and family safety. The combination of grotesque straw-cape figures and celebratory water-pouring makes this a signature winter strange-festival, and the marquee winter event of Kaminoyama Onsen.
N O P H O T O
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01Folk rite transmitted since the early Edo period
- 02Distinctive form: straw-cape 'kendai' covering the body
- 03Celebratory water from the roadside for harvest and fire prevention
- 04Procession from Kaminoyama Castle's main-gate plaza through the city
- 05Marquee winter event of Kaminoyama Onsen
D E E P D I V E