Eisa folk dances

The Dance Season

Representative Eisa
(Watch the movies)

The Dance Form

Music Program

Buffoonery
(Comic Relief)

Costumes and Instruments

Bon observance dances in mainland Japan are performed in many places on July 13-15 of the Gregorian calendar, but since in Okinawa almost all events are held according to the lunar calendar, Eisa is performed on July 13-15.
The day eisa is performed is determined by each individual district. However, in most places Eisa is performed throughout the night, after the conclusion of the bonfire escorting the spirits of the dead back to their world.
In Kunigami, Eisa is held on the evening of the first day when ancestor spirits first arrive to visit their families in this world on the 13th.
Moreover, in recent times, thanks to the Eisa boom, on the 16th--the day following the three-day observance--many places now hold Eisa meets.