It is said to be the successor to the Takadate mokke, which was created to commemorate the soul of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the master and servant who died a tragic end in Hiraizumi, Oshu. The ghosts of Minamoto no Yoshitsune's master and servants appeared every night, and Yasuhiro, who was at a loss, asked him to pray for the ghosts to disappear, but then a monkey, an incarnation of the Buddha, appeared and mingled with the raging ghosts, dancing while chanting Nembutsu, and the ghosts disappeared. This dance is based on the idea that people's hearts were softened and they attained Buddhahood.
It is dedicated at the annual festival held on September 16th at the Isedo Hall in Isawakoyama, Oshu City, and at Chusonji Temple and Motsuji Temple during the Fujiwara Festival in Hiraizumi in spring and autumn.
As one of the "furyu dances", "Oni Kenbu", which includes Honokizawa Nenbutsu Kenbu, has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2022.11.30) [ Oshu City Homepage ]
- Location
- Isawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture
- Inquiries
- Onikanbu Union Preservation Society Secretariat (Oshu City Board of Education Historical Heritage Division) 0197-34-1315
- Other
- Iwate's cultural information encyclopedia Iwate's local performing arts
Oshu City Arts and Culture Association Oshu City's cultural property inheritance and creation project
