The season for one of western Japan's largest folk song festivals, the Tamba Sasayama Dekansho Festival, has arrived again this year.
The Tamba Sasayama Dekansho Festival celebrates Dekansho Odori, a dance performed to Dekansho-bushi, a folk song that Tamba Sasayama proudly shares with the rest of Japan.
URL: https://dekansho.jp/
About the Tamba Sasayama Dekansho Festival
Held every year on August 15 and 16 in Tamba Sasayama City, the Tamba Sasayama Dekansho Festival is one of western Japan's largest folk song festivals.
With a history of more than 70 years, the festival draws around 70,000 visitors each year.
The festival's signature highlight is the "Sō Odori" (mass dance), performed to Dekansho-bushi around one of Japan's largest wooden yagura towers.
Anyone can join the Sō Odori on the spot, so why not jump in and dance along if you visit?
About 180 food stalls also offer a variety of dishes to enjoy, and around 1,000 fireworks light up the sky above the Sasayama Castle ruins over the two days, adding a finishing touch to the festival. Don't miss this quintessential midsummer tradition of Tamba Sasayama City.
Event Dates (2026)
August 15 (Sat): 3:00 PM to 9:15 PM (scheduled)
August 16 (Sun): 4:45 PM to 9:00 PM (scheduled)
Venue
Around Sasayama Castle Ruins Sannomaru Plaza (Kitashincho, Tamba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture)
Planned Program
- Dance lesson
- Yagura concert (August 15 only)
- Yagura Sō Odori (mass dance around one of Japan's largest wooden yagura)
- Competition and junior performance (dance showcase)
- Kochō Dekansho-bushi performance (old-style Dekansho-bushi)
- Fireworks display
- Food stall village, huge night market
- Andon lantern and decoration contest (across the shopping district)
- Concerts and other various events
▽ Parking and traffic regulations for the Tamba Sasayama Dekansho Festival
https://tourism.sasayama.jp/dekansho-kisei/
Dekansho-bushi
Dekansho-bushi is a folk song sung mainly in Tamba Sasayama City as a Bon dance song, with a history of more than 200 years.
Dekansho-bushi is said to have originated from a Bon dance song sung among farmers in the early Edo period. In the Meiji era, students from Tamba Sasayama taught it to students in Tokyo, and its simple, easy-to-sing melody went on to become known throughout the country.
One major difference from ordinary folk songs is that new lyrics are added to it every year.
Today it has more than 400 verses, and it lives on as an ongoing effort to hand a renewed Tamba Sasayama down to future generations through song.
Dekansho-bushi is recognized as a Japan Heritage and designated as an intangible cultural property by Tamba Sasayama City — a culture that is a genuine point of pride for Tamba Sasayama.
▽ More on Dekansho-bushi (Tamba Sasayama City official website)
