This 400 year-old tradition dates back to the Edo Period, the Sasara festival features 3 dancing lions in an ancestral ceremony wishing for safety and prosperity. Dancing, drumming and playing the sasara, a unique instrument made of wood and bamboo, the colorful lions perform at Unganji Shrine as well as at local homes which have asked for their unique blessings. Check out Kakunodate’s Sasara-Mai!