List Of Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties

This is a list of 329 Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan.

Criteria

# It must exemplify something original in the Japanese people's everyday life in terms of origin and content, and be typical.
# It must exemplify the process of evolution of some technique.
# It must exemplify some local characteristic.

Designated cultural properties

Manners and customs

Manufacture, livelihood

9 designations. All were designated under Criteria 1.

Life rituals

6 designations. All were designated under Criteria 1.

Amusements, contests

10 designations, all under criterion 1.

Social life (knowledge of folk customs)

2 designations, all under criterion 1

Annual functions or events

34 designations, all under criterion 1

Religious festivals and beliefs

70 designations. All were designated under Criteria 1. This includes all but oneThe Chiryū Festival, which is part of the UNESCO designated '' Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan'', has been designated as Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in the category of Folk performing arts – Entertainment from Abroad and Performance Arts. of the 33 festivals in the UNESCO Intangible cultural heritage '' Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan''.The float festivals included in this designation are: Hachinohe Sansha Taisai, Kakunodate Matsuri, Tsuchizaki Shinmeishasai, Hanawa Matsuri, Shinjō Matsuri, Hitachi Furyumono, Karasuyama Yamaage Festival, Kanuma Imamiya Festival,
Chichibu Festival, Kawagoe Hikawa Festival, Sawara Festival, Takaoka Mikuruma-yama Festival, Uozu Tatemon Festival, Jōhana Shinmei Shrine Festival, Seihaku Festival, Takayama Festival, Furukawa Festival, Ōgaki Festival, Owari Tsushima Tennō Festival, Chiryū Festival, Inuyama Festival, Kamezaki Shiohi Festival, Sunari Festival, Toride Shrine Festival, Ueno Tenjin Festival, Ishidori Matsuri, Nagahama Hikiyama Festival, Gion Matsuri, Hakata Gion Yamakasa, Tobata Gion Yamagasa festival, Karatsu Kunchi, Yatsushiro Myoken Festival, Hita Gion Festival.

, August 2–7
, Parade of floats decorated with historical or legendary figures and accompanied by flutes, drums and Obon dances. The festival is said to commemorate Sakanoue no Tamuramaro and together with the Akita Kantō and the Sendai Tanabata festival, it is one of the three great festivals in Tohoku.
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, August 1–3
, Festival of three shrines: , , and , with a procession of 27 floats and mikoshi accompanied by lion dances, masked warriors and people in traditional garb representing legendary or mythical characters.
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, 17th–19th day of the 9th month
, Parishioners of 7 towns and villages carry from the shrine and place them on a scaffolding structure at a temporary shrine where various dances are performed.
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, August 19, 20
, Joined event of and in which 10 festival floats are paraded through town accompanied by music.
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, September 7–9
, Procession of floats with kabuki styled dolls, music and dance at a festival with origins in the 17th century.
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, August 5–7
, Parade of more than 200 long bamboo poles () carrying 46 paper lanterns each. Together with the Aomori Nebuta and the Sendai Tanabata festival, one of the three great festivals in Tohoku.
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, July 20–21
, Parade of and 20 festival floats with almost life-sized dolls representing characters or scenes of historical narratives. The floats are provided by the neighborhoods.
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, Various dates (Jan 6, March 24–25, June 20, 24–28, July 1–8, December 7) with the main event on July 7
, Apart from a parade of floats the festival is particularly noted for where a man dressed as Susanoo-no-Mikoto rides a cow through the streets and for (spider dance) in which a man dressed in red does somersaults on a platform on a fishing boat in the harbor.
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, December 31 and January 1
, New Year fire festival in which large torches () are lit and the state of burning is said to predict the year's harvest and catch.
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, August 24–26
, Festival initiated in 1756 during the Great famine of the Hōreki era by Tozawa Masanobu, head of the Shinjō Domain in order to raise the spirits of the people and to pray for abundant harvest. The floats from each of 21 towns are characterised by their gaudy decorations and life size figures. The parade is accompanied by flutes, cymbals, drums and music.
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, 16th–18th day of the 11th month
, Event related to Hayama no Kami in which after purification, local men climb Hayama where they receive the 's oracle.
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, July 18–21
, Festival held to drive away disease-inducing spirits. The festival includes various events such as a procession of young brides accompanied by , children's kabuki on four floats, and the carrying of .
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, May 2–3, every 5 yearsThe festival was last held in 2017.
, Spring festival of Sawawachigi Shrine in which a is placed on a real fishing boat (dimensions: and ) and paraded through town by 300 men, praying for a good catch and maritime safety.
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, May 3–5
, The grand festival of Kamine Shrine in which four community create floats that serve as multi-level puppet theatre for karakuri puppets. Its floats have been designated as Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property.
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, Friday, Saturday and Sunday around fourth Saturday in July
, Dating back to 1560 when the of Shimotsuke Province enshrined Gozu-Tennō in Yakumo Shrine to stem a disease. The festival is characterised by a display of festival floats (), and various entertainments such as sumo, , and most notably outdoor performances of kabuki and dances of young girls. These are performed at various stages along the road when some of the stages include a mountain theme, giving rise to the name of the festival: meaning literally .
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, Second weekend in October
, Procession of 20 festival floats accompanied by music and dance.
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, Compulsory rice eating as part of the Hokkōji Myōken Shrine festival.
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, Day of the monkey in the 9th month
, Hotaka Shrine festival with a 300-year history going back to a story involving an evil white monkey that was defended by the village.
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, Third weekend in October
, Festival of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine featuring a festival float parade, dances, music, and as the main event a musical battle () between the floats.
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, December 2–3
, Main festival of Chichibu Shrine with six carved floats, kagura dance and music.
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, Friday, Saturday and Sunday following July 10 (Gion Festival); Friday, Saturday and Sunday around the second Saturday in October (Shinjuku Suwa Shrine Festival)
, 300 year old festival featuring floats decorated with tall dolls. There are ten floats during the Gion Festival of Yasaka Shrine and 14 at the autumn festival of Suwa Shrine.
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, Fourth Friday, Saturday and Sunday in July, once every 4 years
, Festival incorporating a variety of rituals and performances including a procession with a red-masked demon, drums, flutes, girls with wooden staffs, , and men carrying decorated sake barrels. A highlight of the festival is the dance consisting of 12 pieces performed by young girls in and colorful hats. This includes dances of two girls representing sun and moon respectively or dances in which the youths prepare the path for the descent of the .
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, February 19–21
, Festival of the twelve shrines in Mona that includes the offering of taro.
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, July 27–28
, Boats decorated in flowers make their way out to sea accompanied by boat songs. Also included in the festival is a rowing boat race and Kashima dance.
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, "Naked" festival of men struggling for rice cakes, sake and other auspicious objects. The event is seen as a prayer for safety and abundant crops but also constitutes rite of passage to adulthood.
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, Grand Festival of Senami Haguro Shrine with a procession of 19 floats, 14 horses and 4 parade floats around the site of the former Murakami Castle. The floats are two-storied with musicians on the lower and dolls on the upper level.
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, (Nakahama and Sugitaira), January 12 (Ganjiki)
, Event in which people prepare sweets for the tutelary as gratitude for a successful harvest and fishing.
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, Large burning torches on rafts called are sent out to sea symbolizing the sending away of drowsiness and filth and praying for a healthy year without disease.
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, First Friday and Saturday in AugustUntil 2006 the festival had been held on August 7, 8.
, Parade of large, tall, long, triangular shaped floats decorated with about 90 lanterns each, praying for a good catch and safety at sea.
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, Float parade with seven floats known locally as () decorated on top by sculptures of mythical animals from where umbrella like structures cover large kabuki-like figures.
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, May 4–5
, Parade of six floats with large sculptures of Japanese deities such as Ebisu or Daikokuten, accompanied by lion dances, music, and men carrying halberds. Peculiar to the festival are long-based carts known as pulled in front of the and housing two groups of musicians: flute and players on one side and vocalists on the other.
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, September 30–October 2
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, A cormorant is released to the gods and based on its movement the year's harvest and weather is forecast.
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, Parade of and tall red banners accompanied by bells and drums and led by the masked dancing deity Sarudahiko no mikoto. It is a joyous expression of thanks for abundant harvest and fishing.
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, May 13–15
, Festival of Ōtokonushi Shrine with huge tall floats decorated with large kabuki-style dolls, and large barrel-shaped drums in an event meant to drive away disease-bearing spirits and to secure the safety of the local people.
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, August 26–27
, Fire festival in which huge lit and paraded through town announcing the close of the climbing season on Mount Fuji.
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, Weekend following July 14, every 3 yearsThe last time the festival was held in 2016.
, Shinto event in which two children on two tall structures made of branches compete to strike a light with a piece of flint.
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, April 19–20
, A parade of priests, dignitaries, , flag carrying men and lion dancers is followed by a procession of floats and music in the evening of the first day. The highlight of the festival is the , when giant drums supported by wooden stand are brought out on the second day.
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, April 14–15 (Spring festival of the Hie Shrine), October 9–10 (Autumn festival of the Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine)
, Float festivals with 12 (11) decorated floats, three (four) with mechanical dolls representing characters from Japanese myths or legends during the spring (autumn) festival. The procession is accompanied by lion dances, and music.
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, Weekend before May 15
, Parade of 13 floats decorated with dolls and mechanical puppets. The festival shows features of festival culture from eastern (Chūkyō) and western ( Kinki) Japan.
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, Weekend preceding the 10th day of the 8th month
, Naked festival involving purification of the participants on the beach, dances, (demon dances) and as the highlight, the violent carrying of .
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, Mid-September
, Youths manipulate model boats while singing and chanting.
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, May 3–4
, (low tide) festival of Kamezaki in which five tall two-tiered floats with distinct roofs are dragged to the beach with puppet plays performed on the upper storey to the accompaniment of Noh and songs.
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, First Saturday and following Sunday of April
, Display of 13 three-storied floats known locally as and produced by 13 towns. During the day music from the lowest floor accompanies theatrical puppet performances on the top level. Afterwards 365 lanterns (one for each day of the year) are attached to each float.
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, Early July to late October, festival eve on first Saturday in August
, Also known as '100 day festival'. During the Yoi-matsuri eve in August, boats decorated with paper lanterns are festooned in the river. In the morning of the following day, during the Asa-matsuri, these boats with Takasago dolls and festival music go up the river.
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, Fourth Saturday and following Sunday of July
, Festivals involving six , boat versions of the terrestrial floats, which are multi-tiered structures housing life-size dolls and depicting scenes from Noh drama. The highlight is a lit-up display of the boats on the Tennō river.
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, February 10–11
, Ritual masked and unmasked dances including varieties of and . The highlight is the rivalry between a red-masked demon () and a long-nose-masked . After the demon is defeated he runs through the village throwing sweets and white powder which is said to protect from summer diseases.
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, First Sunday of August and the preceding Saturday
, Procession of around 30 festival carts accompanied by and .
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, Sunday before October 25 and the preceding Friday and SaturdayUntil 2016 the festival had been held every year from October 23–25.
, Procession of , i.e. or style floats, accompanied by drums and bells. The festival was originally closely connected with the Tenjin festival in Osaka.
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, August 14–15
, In an event seen as a prayer for abundant fishing, four gold decorated whale-boat-shaped floats are pulled through town in pursuit of a mock whale.
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, Weekend before the second Monday in October
, Parade of thirteen festival floats and accompanied by music and chanting with participants wearing tanuki masks.
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, September 1
, Formal contest comparing the length of taro followed by climbing Nogamiyama.
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, Mid-October
, Autumn festival of Mikami Shrine as a gratitude for the harvest with portable shrines made of the zuiki plant.
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, April 13–16
, Display of floats in which music and children's kabuki are performed. The festival was initiated in the Tenshō era by Toyotomi Hideyoshi celebrating the birth of his son.
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, float parade accompanied by music. The festival originates from a ritual in 869 when 66 halberds were used to pacify disease causing spirits. From 960 the festival became an annual event only interrupted by times of war. The tall poles on top of the floats symbolize these halberds.
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, Various (February 15–17, March 21, September 30, October 16–17)
, Religious rituals typical for communities of shrine parishioners () such as various types of offerings, ritual rice planting () and the lighting of large torches.
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, Second weekend in October
, Large boat festival with a large fleet of wooden Japanese ships centered around boats carrying and including rowing boats, lion boats, pleasure boats and boats for music and song.
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, Fourth weekend in July
, Three elaborately decorated boats and barges including a lion dance barge slowly make up their way from Koza Shrine along the Koza River to Kōchi shrine, represented by Seisho island, where offerings are made.
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, February 6–7
, Festival of Kumano Hayatama Taisha in which about 2000 men in white clothes run down stairs torch in hand.
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, July 13–14
, 12 vermillion decorated with fans and mirrors and 12 huge torches waved next to them.
, Nachikatsuura, Wakayama
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, Fourth Friday, Saturday, Sunday in July
, Parade of floats that are decorated by flags during the day and turned into pyramids of light by a large number of lanterns at night.
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, Third Saturday of February
, About 9,000 naked men competing to get one of two sacred wooden sticks () dropped from a window of the temple. The are said to make childbirth easier and to drive away evil spirits.
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, Third Sunday in April
, ritual where various events such as carrying and lion dances are followed by ritual imitations of rice planting (), halberd dances and paper cutting, which are typical performances. The highlight is the erection of a tall pine pole stand () on which a performs various acts. The festival is a prayer for abundant harvest and safety.
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, July 1–15, with the peak of the festival between July 10–15
, Festival of Kushida Shrine celebrating Susanoo-no-Mikoto through a parade of large floats called , variously decorated with dolls.
, Fukuoka, Fukuoka
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, November 2–4
, Procession of 14 floats in the shape of samurai helmets, sea bream, dragons and other fantastical creatures, the oldest, a red lion dates to 1819.
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, November 22–23
, Transfer of the from Yatsushiro Shrine to Shioya Hachiman-gū (known as ) and exhibition of decorated floats and a mythical creature, half snake half turtle on the first day. On the second day the returns () in a procession with lion dances.
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, Weekend following July 20
, Float festival with 9 floats with a peculiar multi-layer doll structure.
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, First day of gai following Obon
, Various rituals followed by a boat race in an event that is seen as a prayer for abundant harvest and fishing.
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Folk performing arts

are dances associated with Shinto shrines.

There have been 40 designations, all under Criteria 1, unless otherwise indicated.

are musical presentations/dances related to rice planting.

There have been 25 designations, all under Criteria 1 unless otherwise indicated.

are traditional folk dances often consisting of large processions of participants typically wearing colorful costumes and accompanied by props. Another form represented below is and the syncretic . In these dances, dancing is accompanied by Buddhist chanting and hymns.

The most common surviving example of these dances is the .

There have been 43 designations, all designated under Criteria 1 unless otherwise indicated.

Storytelling

6 designations. All were designated under Criteria 1 except for the Hakata Matsubayashi which was designated under 2 and 3.

Ennen and Okonai

(lit. "extend the years") are Buddhist temple entertainments performed at the end of Buddhist services and believed to extend the listeners' lifespans. (lit. "deeds") are Buddhist New Year celebrations in which the evils of the past year are driven away.

There have been 7 designations, all under Criteria 1.

Entertainment from abroad and performance arts

40 designations. All were designated under criteria 1 unless otherwise indicated.

Other

18 designations. All were designated under Criteria 1 except for the Daiko of the Kokura Gion Festival and the Inaba and Tajima Kirin Lion dance which were designated under criteria 2 and 3.

Folk techniques

Manufacturing and production

16 designations.

Necessities of life

3 designations, all under criteria 3.

See also

* Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Philippines

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

Inventory-making for Intangible Cultural Heritage Management

{{Cultural Properties of Japan

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Japanese folk art
*Folk
Intangible Folk