日本のよいものを世界へ

Holding period

2022.07.10

A traditional art form with a history of about 700 years, praying for rain stoppage

A traditional performance of prayer to stop rain, held at Itsukusho-ji Temple in Ota Ward. It has a history of about 700 years and is designated as a Tokyo Metropolitan Intangible Folk Cultural Asset.
The festival begins at 1:00 p.m. on the second Sunday of July each year (July 10, 2022) with a rain-making ceremony called “Dogyou. A person blowing a large conch shell enters two dragon deities, a male and a female, with straw ropes woven into a spiral shape, and they are doused with water as they proceed. After the dragon gods, the procession is followed by “kego” (boys and girls holding up fans with peonies painted on them) and “fueji ren” (a group of flute players led by a flute player).
When they arrive at the stage in the precincts of Itsukusho-ji Temple, three lions (a male lion with a red mask, a young lion with a black mask, and a male lion with a gold mask) perform a dance accompanied by a dedicatory flute and songs. When the dance is over, the three lions descend from the stage and place a lion on the head of an audience member.
When viewing the dragon god up close, you will be splashed with quite a bit of water, so it is recommended that you wear clothes that you don’t mind getting wet and take precautions against getting wet.

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