Sanriku International Arts Festival

Verified [Verified] denotes information that has been published with confirmation of its owing parties.

Sanriku International Arts Festival

A heritage of performing arts, from one generation to the next.

Last update :

This arts festival got its start in 2014, following the works of a troupe of contemporary dancers who visited in support of the regions stricken by the Great East Japan Earthquake. At launch, it began with just four municipalities in Japan’s Sanriku region, but has now expanded since 2018, held as a collective across 15 different cities and towns in Sanriku in collaboration with private organizations, Iwate Prefecture and the municipalities of Sanriku.

The stars of the arts festival are Dance & Performance Arts. Sanriku has garnered wide acclaim across the globe, known as a treasure trove of unique, local performing arts. The harsh, natural environment in Sanriku paved the way for the many folk arts groups that took root here, as well as for their heritage works like Bird Dance, Sword Dance, Deer Dance, Sansa, Nanyadoyara and Kagura, still in practice today.

The festival’s aim is to bolster the region by creating a cultural interchange with global performing art groups and modern artists, by creating programming to be enjoyed either as an audience or firsthand via experiences and shared around the world. Check out the official website for more details.

Highlights

  • Stage is set at Sanriku, a treasure trove of performing arts unlike any other in the world.
  • Mainstay of the arts festival are "Dance & Performance Arts".
  • Made to enjoy as an audience or firsthand via experiential programming.

Photos

  • 2023 Main Poster

    2023 Main Poster

  • From the 2017 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Urahama Nenbutsu Sword Dance (Ofunato) 
©Sanriku International Arts Committee

    From the 2017 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Urahama Nenbutsu Sword Dance (Ofunato) ©Sanriku International Arts Committee

  • From the 2018 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Clinch Manis (Indonesia) 
©Sanriku International Arts Committee

    From the 2018 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Clinch Manis (Indonesia) ©Sanriku International Arts Committee

  • From the 2018 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Kanzu-ryu Urahama Lion Dance (Ofunato) 
©Sanriku International Arts Committee

    From the 2018 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Kanzu-ryu Urahama Lion Dance (Ofunato) ©Sanriku International Arts Committee

  • From the 2022 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Iwate Prefectural Iwaizumi High School Local Performing Arts Department (Iwaizumi) 
©Sanriku International Arts Committee

    From the 2022 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Iwate Prefectural Iwaizumi High School Local Performing Arts Department (Iwaizumi) ©Sanriku International Arts Committee

  • From the 2022 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Otsuchi Town Tiger Dance Council (Otsuchi) 
©Sanriku International Arts Committee

    From the 2022 Sanriku International Arts Festival: Otsuchi Town Tiger Dance Council (Otsuchi) ©Sanriku International Arts Committee

Reviews

Details

Name in Japanese
三陸国際芸術祭
Location
Various places along the Sanriku Coast
Phone
019-656-8145 (Sanriku International Arts Committee)
Official Website
Official Website (English)