Hachinohe Enburi Festival 八戸えんぶり

Hachinohe, a city on the coast of Aomori Prefecture , celebrates the arrival of spring with an annual event called Hachinohe Enburi, which takes place from February 17 to 20.

Hachinohe Enburi is held in the city center of Hachinohe, the second-largest city in Aomori Prefecture , and can be reached by train and is a few-minutes' walk from the station.

Hachinohe City can be accessed by Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo. Get off at Hachinohe Station and transfer to the Hachinohe Line. Hon-Hachinohe Station, the closest station to where the event is held, is located two stops away from Hachinohe Station.

The central festival locations of Hachinohe Public Hall and the stage in front of the City Office are a short walk from Hon-Hachinohe Station, and Chojasan Shinra-jinja is a 20-minute walk from Hon-Hachinohe Station.

The Hachinohe Enburi is believed to have started during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when some retainers of Mitsuyuki Nanbu, the founder of the Nanbu clan, were said to have started dancing with swords at a New Year's drinking party, causing a ruckus. A tactful farmer named Toukuro, who was in the vicinity, picked up his farming tools and began singing a rice-planting song, putting the situation to rest. This eventually led to the creation of the enburi dances.

There are two types of enburi dances, Naga-enburi and Dosai-enburi. The Naga-enburi are slow and graceful, while the Dosai-enburi are lively and full of energy.

Both are performed by dancers wearing colorful costumes with the long, horse neck-shaped eboshi hat on top. The costumes and dances are a designated National Important Intangible Folk Property of Japan.

The festival closes each night with a bonfire, held in the public square in front of Hachinohe City Office. The performances at night have a dreamlike quality that is distinct from the events held all day.

Try the piping-hot amazake—a sweet, fermented rice drink—and Hachinohe senbei soup; these traditional treats will help you imagine yourself as a lord or lady in ancient Japan.

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