A small New Year's ritual held on January 15th every year. Suneka, a straw man wearing a strange mask, goes around the houses in the area, praying for the healthy growth of children, a rich harvest, and a bountiful catch. The origin of ``suneka'' is said to be ``sunekawa taguri'', which is used to peel off the skin of the skin on the shins, which is caused by being too lazy to be around irori during the cold winter. The gestures and appearance that warn against lazy or crying children are very regional. The Yoshihama Suneka Preservation Society carries out activities to pass on the history of Suneka, such as lending costumes to children in the area. In 2004, it was designated as a national important intangible folk cultural property.
On November 29, 2018, “Visiting Gods: Gods in Masks and Costumes” including “Yoshihama Suneka” were registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage → [ Ofunato City Homepage ]
- Venue
- Yoshihama, Sanriku-cho, Ofunato-shi, Iwate 022-0102
- Hours
- January 15th every year
- Inquiries
- Ofunato City Board of Education Education and General Affairs Division Phone number 0192-27-3111 Fax number 0192-27-8878
- Other
- *If you are a member of the general public and would like to take photos, please come to the Yoshihama District Base Center (93-1 Ueno, Yoshihama, Sanriku Town) at 3:30 pm on the day of the event to receive an explanation of precautions.
