An Illustrated Japan / Saga / Culture & Tradition

Furyu and Other Local Folk Performing Arts

Also written: 浮立（ふりゅう）などの郷土芸能 · 浮立等乡土艺能

Including Menfuryu (masked Furyu dances), these unique Saga folk performances feature dancers in brightly colored costumes and demon masks, commonly showcased at local festivals and attracting visitors' attention.

Saga Kyushu-Okinawa Culture & Tradition

About this place

Furyu and other local folk performing arts are community-based dedication dances performed at festivals across Saga to pray for harvest and maritime safety, with Menfuryu as the most visually striking form. Men-furyu includes performers in vivid, often embroidered costumes, donning fierce demon or ogre masks and wigs of horsehair shaguma that are energetically swung while crouching low. The Ureshino Onsen-ku Menfuryu, dedicated at Toyotama-hime Shrine, rehearses for some 35 days from mid-September to late October, performing eight pieces such as Hōgan Michi, Kami no Mae, and Shin Furyu. In southern Saga, the Tensho Mai Furyu dedicated at Kaido Shrine in Kawazoe, Saga City, is designated a Municipal Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property with over 300 years of history, featuring mikoshi procession and furyu dance. Historically supported by neighborhood associations, some groups now welcome members of the newly established JSDF Saga Garrison (about 20 participants in 2024) for carry and flag-bearing, helping bridge demographic shortages. Other forms include Yotsudake and Taiko Furyu. For travelers, the combination of pounding drums and flutes, synchronized footwork and prayerful shouts offers an authentic glimpse into local identity and the persistent link between ritual, community and healing, still vibrantly alive in autumnal shrine grounds.