Tokyo Tama Tourist Site

Is Hinode Town Famous for Its Fir Trees?

Located in western Tokyo, Hinode Town takes its name from Mount Hinode, which rises at the town’s western edge. The name reflects a wish that the town would continue to prosper and grow with the vigor of the rising sun. The town’s official flower is the wisteria and cherry blossom, its bird is the Japanese bush warbler, and its symbolic tree is the fir.

Fir trees have long been closely associated with the town because they are used as the raw material for sotoba—wooden memorial tablets erected at Buddhist gravesites. Although the exact origins of sotoba production in the area are unclear, local tradition traces it back to the Genroku period (1688–1704).

According to the story, a group of residents from Okuno were making a pilgrimage to Ise Shrine when they encountered a sick Buddhist monk along the roadside. After caring for him, they were advised by the monk that, since Okuno was rich in fir trees, they should use the wood to produce sotoba and sell them to temples in Edo (present-day Tokyo).

Over time, more people took up the craft, and sotoba production developed into one of Hinode Town’s major local industries. Today, the town is said to account for approximately 60 percent of Japan’s total sotoba production, making it a traditional industry rooted in the abundant natural resources of the surrounding mountains.

What is the Tamanouchi Kazamatsuri Lion Dance?

About 30 minutes by bus from JR Fussa Station, visitors can get off at Ochiai and cross Ochiai Bridge, where the torii gate of Mishima Shrine soon comes into view. The shrine enshrines Oyamatsumi-no-Okami and Takeminakata-no-Okami.

Although the shrine’s exact founding date is unknown due to several destructive fires throughout its history, information published by the Tokyo Association of Shinto Shrines notes that its sacred mirror dates back to the Muromachi period (1336–1573).

The Tamanouchi district of Okuno, where the shrine stands, preserves a traditional lion dance known as the Tamanouchi Kazamatsuri Shishimai. Also called the “Rain-Prayer Lion Dance” (Amagoi Jishi), it was originally performed as a ritual to pray for rain. In 1990, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Hinode Town.

The performance takes place every year on the second Saturday of August and is presented over the course of a full day at three designated performance sites, including Mishima Shrine.

The dance belongs to the tradition of the Three-Lion Dance, featuring two male lions and one female lion. Individual dance pieces are known as niwa, and seven different niwa are performed throughout the festival. Some of these dances are believed to have been introduced from neighboring communities, including Hinohara Village, before becoming established in Tamanouchi.

Although the exact date of transmission is unknown, the lion masks currently in use bear the inscription “Koka 4” (1847), indicating that the tradition has been preserved for at least that long.

The performers fasten drums around their waists and wear lion masks on their heads. The simultaneous performance of three lions by three individual dancers is known as Hitoridachi Santo Shishimai, literally “single-performer, three-headed lion dance.” This style is widely found throughout eastern Japan, particularly in the Tama region and across the Kanto area.

Event Period	Second Saturday of August
Official Website	https://www.town.hinode.tokyo.jp/0000000440.html Note:Event dates may vary from year to year. Please contact the shrine or event organizers for the latest schedule.
Access	Take the Nishi Tokyo Bus Route Go-30 from JR Fussa Station bound for Musashi-Itsukaichi Station and get off at “Ochiai.”
Photo Courtesy	Takako Mogaki