F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-257

Takezaki Kannon-ji Shushoe Oni Matsuri (Demon Festival)

竹崎観世音寺 修正会鬼祭たけざきかんぜおんじ しゅしょうえおにまつり

At Takezaki Kannon-ji, a temple perched on a hill jutting into the Ariake Sea, a midwinter naked festival is held every January 2–3. Legend holds that a demon dwelling in the sea off Takezaki and a demon sealed in a 'demon box' inside the Kannon hall are husband and wife — and that if they call to each other and reunite on the night of January 5, Takezaki Island will capsize. To prevent this, young men in loincloths wage a battle over the demon box. When attendants (oni-zoe) carry the box containing the demon masks out of the hall at a run, the waiting throng of near-naked men charges it with a roar, and amid the clash of bells, drums, and conch trumpets the box is sealed back inside the hall. The rite also preserves a 'child dance' performed by two boys in fish-shaped crowns and white masks, and the 'daisho-uchi' beating of bound oak staves — medieval forms dating to the Northern and Southern Courts era. It is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.