The Sakita Shrine Blue Lion Dance preserves and inherits the blue lion dance, which is rare in Japan. Currently, the blue lion mask that is handed down to the shrine dates from the Oei era (1394-1428) and is a corporate treasure (different from the mask that is currently used for dance). It is said that the literature of the 2nd year of Kyoho (1717) also describes the dedication of this lion dance, and conveys a fairly old format. The lion dance is basically a three-person stand, consisting of a total of 12 stages, and is still dedicated every October in the shrine. It is also influenced by the Ise style lion dance, but one of the features is that Bannai (the role of escorting the procession) uses the "binzasara" used in the Taraku dance.
[Prefectural designated intangible folk cultural property]