The Calendar of 
MapThe Calendar of the Yearly Festivals
045 045 Arakimishima Shrine
Tottori City Akisato
Picture of the Kirin’s Head
Picture of the Shoujou’s Mask
| Date of the Festival | Closest Sunday to April-14 |
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| Time for the Kirin Dance at the Shrine | Eve of the festival: 7 p.m./ Festival day: 7 p.m. |
| Origin | Around the mid-Edo period |
| Characteristics | This Kirin dance originated from Tottori Tōshogū Shrine and is called Gongen-style dance. A grand festival is held every 4 years. The shrine has an exchange with the Kirin dance team in Rishiri, Hokkaido. |
| Area | Tottori City Akisato |
Related Information
Sites Associated with the Kirin Dances
Monuments around the Tottori Station
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Wooden Benches
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Sand Sculpture of Kirin
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Stone Sculpture of Kirin
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Tottori Toshogu in the Ouchidani Park
Tottori Toshogu was established by Mitsunaka Ikeda, a local lord, in the 17th century, and is a branch shrine of Nikko Toshogu. The shrine inherits the initial Kirin, which is now stored in the Tottori Prefectural Museum. During Gongen Matsuri, a festival in October, members of the Inaba Kirin Dance Club dance before the shrine’s deity, and a procession of a mikoshi (portable shrine) walks through to animate the festival.
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The Imeitei Pioneer Memorial Gallery of Hamasaka
Imeitei is a gallery remodeled by Shichikamaya Yashiki (Shichikamaya Mansion) of the Mori family, who until lately ran a sake-brewery. It is a historical and folk gallery where visitors can trace the footsteps of the pioneers living around the Shin-onsen Town. The head of the Kirin from the Utsuno Shrine is displayed in the gallery. It is designated as the town’s cultural heritage.
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Sora no Eki Park (Sky Station Park) at the Amarube Bridge
The origin of the Kirin from the Junisha Shrine, a shrine in adjacent to the Yoroi district, is the Kirin dance performed in the Iwami Town. This dance was a part of the inauguration of the Amarube Bridge at the end of the Meiji period. Visitors can see children’s drawings of the Kirin displayed in Sora no Eki at the Amarube Bridge and the park at the foot of the Amarube Crystal Tower. The roadside stations in vicinity are also worth sightseeing.
