Lion Dance

The performing art of dancing with a lion's head is called the lion dance. It is common for two people to enter the cloth attached to the lion's head and dance together. This form is widely seen at festivals such as Bon, New Year's, and spring and autumn annual festivals.
In contrast, the lion dance performed by a single person wearing a lion head is伝えられています in the Tohoku and Kanto regions. In Kanto, one female lion and two male lions form a group to dance together, known as the Three-Lion Dance (also called the Solo Style Lion Dance). In Tokyo, including those currently not performed, the Three-Lion Dance is伝えられている in 84 locations, especially in the western areas such as Okutama Town, Ome City, Hinohara Village, and Hachioji City.
Within the city, the Three Lion Dance has been passed down in four locations: Yanokuchi (Anazawa Tenjin Shrine), Higashi-Naganuma (Aoi Shrine), Momura (Tate Shrine), and Omaru (Oasame no Mame no Tenjin Shrine), but currently it is only performed in Yanokuchi and Higashi-Naganuma.

Aoi Shrine Lion Dance (City Designated Cultural Property)

The lion dance of Aoi Shrine in Higashi-Naganuma is dedicated every year on the day of the grand festival, October 1st. There are no remaining documents about its origin, but it was revived in 1937 after being suspended for 23 years since 1915. Ancient documents record an incident that occurred during the Aoi Shrine festival lion dance in the 4th year of the An'ei era (1775), suggesting that it dates back to this period. The lion dance consists of three lions: the large lion, the seeking lion, and the female lion. The large lion has sword-shaped horns, the seeking lion has twisted horns, and the female lion has no horns. All three have a jewel on their foreheads. These three lions are said to represent the gods of the Bushu Mitake, the guardian god of Aonuma, and the god of Oyamazaki in Sōshū. The tengu dancing with the lions wears a thick red sash, holding a fan in the right hand and a gourd in the left hand. The three lions and the tengu dance around a sumo ring created in front of the main shrine.

Anazawa Tenjin Shrine Lion Dance (City Designated Cultural Property)

The Anazawa Tenjin Shrine Lion Dance in Yanokuchi is dedicated every year on the day of the annual grand festival, August 25th. There are no remaining documents about the origin of the lion dance, but it is believed to have started around the early to mid-Edo period, similar to the Aoi Shrine Lion Dance. It was temporarily suspended in the 1930s but was revived in the late 1940s and continues to this day. The lion dance consists of three lions—the large lion, the seeking lion, and the female lion—along with a tengu, and the performance is almost the same as the Aoi Shrine Lion Dance. On the day of the festival, a procession moves from the Yanokuchi Neighborhood Association Hall to the sumo ring in front of the Anazawa Tenjin Shrine main hall, and the sight of the dancers climbing the shrine’s stone steps while performing is truly magnificent.
Both types of lion dances feature not only lions and tengu (goblin-like creatures) but also performers such as flute players, shell trumpet players, and singers who enliven the scene. The lion dances performed within the shrine grounds as prayers for abundant harvests, warding off evil, and rainmaking represented the hopes of farmers and also served as entertainment during times when leisure activities were scarce.