Gujo Odori Dance Festival

“When you leave Gujo Hachiman, you can squeeze your sleeves even there is no rain.” is one of the lyrics of songs of Gujo Odori Dance. This song has been sung and danced in the castle town of Gujo Hachiman for more than 400 years, and it is said that the castle owner encouraged Bon Odori during Edo era in order to reconcile classes of warriors farmers artisans and tradesmen. From such a historical background, Gujo Odori is enjoyed by everyone, all tourists and locals. For this reason, poeple come to join Gujo Odori Dance Festival rather than see a festival. It was designated as an important intangible folk cultural property of the country. It is also counted as one of the three major Bon festival dances in Japan.