20 minutes by car from Tsuruoka StationThis festival is held every February when the god Ogi descends to stay for a few days in the district of Kurokawa. Preparations for the festival begin on the day last year's festival ends, when the two persons who will host the No performance (and thus have the honor of receiving the god Ogi into their homes) are chosen. These two indivduals, who are chosen by seniority, are required to tear down the walls of their houses in order to fit in a wooden stage and spectator seating. Since this requires a lot of time and money, during the year leading up to the festival the other residents customarily give many gifts to the two households.
During the week right before the festival the local women engage in the preparation of shimi-dofu (a kind of specially prepared tofu) and other ceremonial foods which are eaten by the actors and spectators during the festival. The No begins on a cold winter evening amidst the flickering light of many candles, and the small open space around the stage is quickly warmed by the crowd of people (and later on during the night by a timely distribution of sake).
Recently, the festival is well-attended by many people from outside Yamagata, including Tokyo and other countries.
20 minutes by car from Tsuruoka Station
0235-57-2111 (Kushibiki Town Office Planning and Development Division)
February 1-2 (all night)