Sanage Festival [Sunday, Oct. 9 only]
Oct. 9, 2022
The annual Sanage Festival offers the rare opportunity to watch performances of bo no te (“pole in hand”), an acrobatic martial art that has been practiced in what is now Aichi Prefecture since the sixteenth century. The festival takes place at Sanage Shrine on the second weekend of October and is held to pray for a plentiful harvest in the coming year.
Bo no te is both a ceremonial display of fighting skill and a form of folk entertainment. Practitioners perform a variety of loosely choreographed movements with weapons that include wooden poles, swords, spears, and scythes. It is thought to have originated during the Sengoku period (1467–1568), a time of great turmoil and frequent warfare. Farmers, perhaps encouraged by their local daimyo lord, may have sought to acquire martial skills for self-protection. Bo no te was later organized into several local schools, each with distinct choreographies, and came to be performed at shrines in honor of deities. During the Edo period (1603–1867), when the use of weapons was limited to members of the warrior class, bo no te performances were the sole opportunity for local farmers to wield arms. This made the martial art very popular, and troupes from more than 180 villages in the area that is now Aichi and Gifu Prefectures once gathered at Sanage Shrine to show off their skills.
Bo no te is no longer as widely practiced as it was in the Edo period, but it remains a central element of the Sanage Festival. The festivities start on Saturday when a pair of mikoshi (portable Shinto shrines) are brought down to the main precincts of Sanage Shrine from the sanctuary’s two subsidiary shrines on the slopes of Mt. Sanage, Higashinomiya (Eastern Shrine) and Nishinomiya (Western Shrine). The bo no te performances begin in the evening when the mikoshi are illuminated with traditional lanterns. They continue throughout Sunday and are accompanied by sacred dances and a yabusame (mounted archery) ritual.
Basic Information
Address | 〒470-0361 5 Oshiro, Sanage-cho, Toyota-City (Sanage Shrine) |
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Parking | Available |
Location | Sanage Shrine |
Period | Second Sunday in October each year and the day before |
Directions by public transportation | [Directions from Nagoya] ・From Nagoya Station on the Higashiyama subway line, go to Fushimi Station and transfer to the Tsurumai subway line (which connects to the Meitetsu Toyota Line from Akaike). Get off at Meitetsu Toyotashi Station. ・From Meitetsu Nagoya Station, take the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line to Chiryu Station. Transfer trains and get off at Meitetsu Toyotashi Station. ・From JR Nagoya Station, take the JR Chuo Main Line to Kozoji Station. Transfer to the Aichi Loop Line and get off at Shin-Toyota Station. *Click here to check transportation directions and fares in Toyota. http://michinavitoyota.jp/portal/map_en.html |
Area Information
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Sanage Shrine
Toyota-Area
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Daihiden Toshoji Temple
Toyota-Area
Daihiden Toshoji is a Soto Zen temple located approximately 300 meters northeast of the main grounds of Sanage Shrine at the base of Mt. Sanage. It was founded in 1932 by a priest with a strong faith in Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. He was inspired to establish a new temple next to Yamanaka Kannondo, a historic hall that houses a famous tenth-century statue of Senju Kannon, the thousand-armed incarnation of the bodhisattva. Senju Kannon is the principal deity of Daihiden Toshoji and is enshrined in the main hall. That building is open to visitors and serves as the venue for zazen meditation classes. Opposite the main hall are 33 smaller stone statues of Kannon that were once placed along a path around the hillside as part of a miniature pilgrimage route. Daihiden Toshoji is generally a place for quiet contemplation, with the exception of Setsubun (usually February 3), the last day of winter in the traditional Japanese calendar. This is when local residents gather at the temple to ward off evil through the ritual of mamemaki (“bean-throwing”). This custom involves the flinging of hard, dried soybeans that are believed to drive harmful spirits away.
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Toyota Bo-no-Te Kaikan Museum
Toyota-Area
An intangible folk cultural property designated by the prefecture, the bonote is a martial art that is consecrated at a shrine festival. Here you will find a range of exhibits and materials describing it in detail. The Toyota region is home to many different variants of bonote. The exhibits go into detail about its origin, schools, and the implements used.
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Sanage Onsen Resort
Toyota-Area
Sanage Onsen is Aichi Prefecture's largest natural radon hot spring. The hot spring water rises up from 1,200 meters underground. Nicknamed "Medical Spring Water", it is also one of the few hot springs in Japan that you can drink. You can take in the radon spring water’s beneficial ingredients through the skin while bathing, through the lungs by breathing, and by drinking it. It is popular for its therapeutic effects. There are bathhouses where you can bathe without being a guest lodging at an inn. Since Sanage Onsen is in the middle of Aichi Kogen Quasi-National Park, there is also a Japanese garden. The evening illumination creates a beautiful garden scene.
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Mt. Sanageyama
Toyota-Area
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Umekou Peach, Pear, and Strawberry Farm
Toyota-Area
Umekou Peach, Pear, and Strawberry Farm is a highly popular and delightful strawberry picking farm located in Toyota City. A highlight of strawberry picking is the Akihime strawberries, which are sweet with hardly any tartness. The farm also grows Beni-Hoppe strawberries, which can be purchased in take-home packs. Strawberry picking can be enjoyed from January to late May. 45 minutes of all-you-can-eat strawberries is 2,500 JPY for adults, 2,000 JPY for elementary school students, and free for children below the age of two. Umekou also grows peaches and pears, which can be bought at the farm or through internet order.
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Toyota-Area
Strawberry Park MIFUNE offers simple strawberry picking from elevated beds on concrete flooring, letting you harvest your share of sweet strawberries without the dirt of a typical agricultural establishment. It also offers enjoyment to anyone with accessible spacing for guests in wheelchairs or those coming with strollers. A trendy rest area also lets you relax and taste your handpicked strawberries with a small market area to buy other tantalizing treats. Strawberry Park MIFUNE offers not only strawberries but melons in summer and other delicious fruits and vegetables by season!
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Hirose Yana Fishing Weir
Toyota-Area
Hirose Yana Fishing Weir is built traditionally with wood and bamboo. After you catch your sweetfish with your bare hands, you can cook it over a charcoal fire. Right next to the weir is a dining area where you can eat and enjoy Yahagi River’s natural scenery. The season is from early July to early October.
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