Initiatives to Pass on Traditions
The Yatsushiro Myōken Festival is an important local treasure that has been handed down and preserved in Yatsushiro for over 380 years. Many of the floats and performances have been dedicated over generations through the hands of the people in the town, from parents to children, children to grandchildren.
However, in recent years, the diversity in lifestyles, as well as the declining birthrate and aging population has reduced the number of people involved in the festival and training of the successors of this tradition has become a major issue.
The Yatsushiro Myōken Festival Preservation Promotion Association, a group that works to preserve the festival, has continued its efforts to nurture future leaders in order to connect the Yatsushiro Myōken Festival to the future in 100 or 200 years as a local treasure, by encouraging children’s interest in traditional local events through events, such as the Myōken Festival Performance Interactive Classroom, Chibikko Myōken Festival, and Ga-me Dance Project, and by creating numerous opportunities for children to experience the festival.
