Tono Matsuri

Tono Matsuri

September 14-15

This autumn festival in Japan, observed in the hope that it will bring a good harvest, provides an excellent display of traditional Japanese arts. There is a Shishi Odori dance, performed to the accompaniment of taiko drums; TauÉ-odori, a rice-planting dance; kagura (sacred music and dance) performances; and YabusamÉ (horseback archery) demonstrations. There is also a children's parade, called Chigo-gyoretsu . A distinctive genre of festival music, known as Nambu-bayashi, is performed on the grounds of the Tonogo-hachimangu Shrine in Tono.

CONTACTS:
Japan National Tourist Organization
1 Rockefeller Pl., Ste. 1250
New York, NY 10020
212-757-5640; fax: 212-307-6754
www.japantravelinfo.com

SOURCES:
IllFestJapan-1993, p. 108
(c)

Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, Fourth Edition. © 2010 by Omnigraphics, Inc.