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FESTIVALS OF JAPAN: When Nara puts on spectacular show

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

photo：Dancers perform a ritual "Dengaku" dance during the Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri festival on Dec. 16. (The Asahi Shimbun) Dancers perform a ritual "Dengaku" dance during the Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri festival on Dec. 16. (The Asahi Shimbun)

photo：Dancers perform a traditional ritual dance during the Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri festival. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Dancers perform a traditional ritual dance during the Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri festival. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

photo：Performers act out a "Kyogen," a Noh farce play during the Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri festival. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Performers act out a "Kyogen," a Noh farce play during the Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri festival. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

photo：In a rite called "Uma no Shinji," two heavy mikoshi portable shrines held aloft by young men are transported down a steep slope during the Hiyoshi Taisha Sanno Festival. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) In a rite called "Uma no Shinji," two heavy mikoshi portable shrines held aloft by young men are transported down a steep slope during the Hiyoshi Taisha Sanno Festival. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

photo：At the Geta Festival held on Kamishima island off Toba in Mie Prefecture, local fishermen pray for a good catch. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) At the Geta Festival held on Kamishima island off Toba in Mie Prefecture, local fishermen pray for a good catch. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Nara, the graceful eighth-century capital of Japan, is almost bursting at the seams with ancient rites and rituals. Among them is the Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri festival in December. What makes this event extra special is that it incorporates performing arts that originated in the Nara Period (710-784) up to the Edo Period (1603-1867), providing a continuous living history, if you will.

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