Yotsuya Ryuzu no Mai
A 500-year-old lion dance. Five centuries of prayer, still dancing.
A dragon born the year a shogun died,
still dancing in Hachioji today.
Yotsuya Ryuzu no Mai is a lion dance ("shishimai") that has been passed down in the Yotsuya district of Hachioji, Tokyo, since the late Muromachi period. Inside the surviving lion head is an inscription reading "Shotoku 2" (1712) — making it, by official recognition, the oldest lion head still in active use in Tokyo.
For five hundred years, it has been danced in prayer for abundant harvests, family safety, and rain. Recognized as a Japan Heritage site and a Hachioji City Intangible Folk Cultural Property, the community is now in the middle of a once-in-300-years project to recreate all three lion heads over a three-year period.
Two days, once a year.
Open to everyone, free of charge.
The program may change in the event of rain.
14:00 — Dedication dance
Latest updates
- The Ojishi (father lion) head has been completed — the first of three, in a once-in-300-years renewal.
- The dedication dance will be performed at Suwa Shrine's festival on August 25–26.
- All three renewed lion heads are scheduled to be unveiled together on August 26, 2028.
In the second year of Shotoku, a dragon's head was born.
Three hundred years later, its eyes still glow in the dark.
Five hundred years of history
- c. 1493
A wandering ascetic (rokubu) visits Hoshakuin Temple and teaches the lion dance to young men of Yotsuya.
The same era as Columbus's voyage to the Americas. - 1712
The surviving lion head is carved.
The donor's name and the inscription "Shotoku 2" remain inside it.
Now recognized as Tokyo's oldest lion head still in active use. - 1782
The surviving "Yorozu-kake Oboe-cho" ledger is compiled, recording the town's affairs during the Tenmei famine.
- 1841
A practice lion head is carved by a Hachioji sculptor.
- 1932
Dedicated at Meiji Shrine.
- 1960
Designated an Intangible Cultural Property of Hachioji City.
- 1972
Featured on NHK's "Furusato no Uta."
- 1997
Performed at the National Culture Festival as a representative of Tokyo.
- 2012
The 300th anniversary of the inscription. Members travel to Ise Shrine to perform a dedication dance.
- 2020
Recognized as a Japan Heritage site.
- 2026
The Ojishi (father lion) and new lion head are completed.
The once-in-300-years renewal project begins. - 2028
All three lion heads to be unveiled at the festival.
Three lions, three faces.
Ryuzu no Mai tells the story of three lions — an elder lion, a young lion, and a female lion. Wearing drums strapped to their bellies, the dancers move with a wild, untamed energy sometimes called "shishi-gurui" (lion madness), accompanied by a mournful flute melody that draws the audience in.
OjishiTHE ELDER LION
Full white hair, golden fangs, and two forward-curving horns.
Draped in black feathers, wearing an indigo robe and hakama.
NakajishiTHE YOUNG LION
A youthful face still tinged with blue, with a horn standing straight upward.
Brown hair and a moss-green robe.
A lion still carrying a raw, unrefined youth.
MejishiTHE FEMALE LION
A single horn, a red face, a brown beard, and a jewel held in her mouth.
Draped in red cloth, with eyes that shine gold.
The enigmatic female lion who holds the key to the story.
Before the main performance, children perform a sword dance (tachi), and young girls perform the flower-hat dance (hanagasa) — a summer tradition in Yotsuya, passed down across generations.
The next three hundred years, with you.
The Yotsuya Ryuzu no Mai Preservation Society welcomes new members to help carry this tradition forward.
Drums, flute, dance, or behind-the-scenes support — there are many ways to take part.
No experience necessary.
Come and see the summer festival first.
Contact
- Yotsuya Ryuzu no Mai Preservation Society
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Email: yotsuya.ryuzu@gmail.com
For media and photography inquiries, please contact us here. - Related Information
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Hachioji City Intangible Folk Cultural Property
Dedicated at: Suwa Shrine, Suwa-machi, Hachioji
Held every year on August 25 & 26