The origin of Tashiro Furyu is said to date back to 1773, when the 7th Yanagawa Domain lord, Tachibana Akinao, ordered the Hachiryu Shrine (in which the guardian god of the Tashiro area, the thunder god, is enshrined) to be rebuilt. When it was completed, Akinao himself paraded and devoted Furyu (a musical and dance performing art) to the shrine.
Even now, on Hachiryu Shrine’s annual festival date of December 8, men devote Furyu to the god in the shrine’s grounds after parading through town wearing colorful costume made for women as if they were in a feudal lord’s procession. The dance is known as a fun traditional event in which the unique, clown-like dancing to musical accompaniment by Japanese flute and drums draws observers’ laughter and cheers.
(Municipally-Designated Intangible Folk Cultural Asset)