Kasedori is a traditional folk event held every year on February 11 in Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture. The tradition is said to date back to the early Edo period. During the festival, young men dress as Kasedori, wearing distinctive straw rain capes called kendai, and walk through the town.
One of the festival’s most striking features is the custom of local residents and spectators throwing buckets of water over the Kasedori performers. Despite the freezing winter temperatures, the Kasedori continue singing and dancing as water splashes over their straw-covered bodies, creating an energetic and unusual winter spectacle in Kaminoyama.
The festival carries prayers for abundant harvests, prosperity in business, household safety, and protection from fire. Today, it is one of Kaminoyama’s best-known winter traditions.
Kasedori is believed to have originated as a ceremony welcoming a toshigami, a deity traditionally associated with bringing abundant harvests and prosperity to households.
According to ancient beliefs, during the period around Koshogatsu, or the Little New Year, a deity would visit from a distant place. The deity’s voice was believed to celebrate and announce prosperity for the coming year. These beliefs are thought to have developed into the Kasedori tradition seen today.
The name “Kasedori” is said to be associated with words such as “kasegi-dori,” meaning a bird of prosperity or earning, and “kasei-dori,” associated with fire protection. Both interpretations reflect the festival’s prayers for commercial success and protection from fire.
During the Edo period, Kasedori is said to have been performed in two different forms: Gozen Kase and Machikata Kase.
Gozen Kase is said to have begun during the Kan’ei era in the 17th century and was held on the 13th day of the old New Year.
Three young men from Takano Village who had been granted permission to enter the upper area of Kaminoyama Castle would perform as Kasedori before the lord. At the castle residence, they were traditionally showered with water using new buckets and ladles.
After the performance, the Kasedori performers were reportedly rewarded with sake and one kan of copper coins as a gesture of appreciation.
Machikata Kase was held on the 15th day of the old New Year. Young men gathered from surrounding villages and traveled through the streets lined with merchants’ houses.
Young men from the town would greet them, reportedly stripping down and splashing water from buckets at one another. Town residents gave gifts of money and other offerings while praying for protection from fire and prosperity in business. Sake and cut rice cakes were also traditionally offered.
Despite its long history, Kasedori was discontinued after the beginning of the Meiji period and remained dormant for many years.
Local volunteers who wished to preserve the area’s traditional culture revived the event in 1959. Later, in 1986, the Kaminoyama Folk Event “Kasedori” Preservation Society was established to ensure that the tradition would continue.
The revival of a tradition that had once disappeared is an important part of Kasedori’s history and demonstrates the role of local communities in preserving regional cultural heritage.
During the festival, young men transform themselves into Kasedori by wearing kendai, traditional straw garments that cover much of the body.
The unusual straw-covered appearance is one of the most distinctive features of the event. The performers gather around a bonfire in front of Kaminoyama Castle, singing and dancing before setting off through the town.
As the Kasedori dance, they repeat the distinctive chant “Kakkakka no Kakkakka.” The performers move energetically to the rhythm of the song and dance while people along the route throw celebratory water over them.
The combination of singing, dancing, straw costumes, and splashing water gives Kasedori its unique atmosphere and turns the winter streets of Kaminoyama into a lively festival scene.
The custom of throwing water over the Kasedori is closely associated with fire prevention.
According to tradition, during major fires in the Edo period, sparks and embers flying through the air were said to resemble fire-eating birds. Throwing water at the bird-like Kasedori came to symbolize a wish to prevent fires and protect the town.
The water is also said to symbolize wishes for prosperity in businesses involving water, traditionally including the water-related service and entertainment industries. The water-splashing ritual has therefore become the defining feature of the Kasedori festival.
Kasedori is also regarded as a manifestation of a deity or sacred visitor, and the straw that falls from the performers’ kendai is traditionally considered a good-luck charm.
One local belief says that tying a piece of this straw into a young girl’s hair would help her grow beautiful, abundant black hair. Even the straw used for the festival costumes therefore carries the hopes and beliefs of the local community.
Today, the Kasedori festival is held every year on February 11 in Kaminoyama City. The young performers first gather around a bonfire in front of Kaminoyama Castle, singing and dancing before making their way through the town.
Residents and visitors along the streets then shower the Kasedori with celebratory water. The performers continue dancing despite being drenched by the cold winter water.
At the end of the festival, local people may offer the performers sake and gifts of money, and traditional hand towels may be wrapped around their heads as a gesture of appreciation.
Although the festival takes place during one of the coldest times of the year, the streets become filled with singing, chanting, dancing, and splashing water, creating a lively atmosphere unique to winter in Kaminoyama.
Traditional songs are performed alongside the Kasedori dances. Their words express hopes for abundant harvests, protection from fire, commercial prosperity, and a fruitful new year.
The distinctive chant “Kakkakka no Kakkakka” is repeated throughout the performance, helping to create the energetic rhythm of the festival.
The songs also contain words of celebration for Kasedori and express traditional wishes for abundant crops, protection from fire, successful businesses, and prosperity in the coming year.
Kasedori is a valuable folk tradition based on customs said to have been practiced since the Edo period and revived and preserved by the local community in modern times.
The straw-covered Kasedori performers, distinctive songs and dances, powerful splashes of celebratory water, and prayers for abundant harvests, business prosperity, household safety, and protection from fire all come together to create a unique winter festival.
More than simply a colorful spectacle, Kasedori offers visitors a chance to experience the history, everyday hopes, and traditional beliefs of the Kaminoyama community.
If you visit Kaminoyama City in winter, the Kasedori festival is a memorable opportunity to encounter a centuries-old Japanese folk tradition in which the entire community takes part.