Stage program

Saijo in Higashihiroshima City has prospered as one of Japan’s most famous brewing districts. "Saijo Sake Brewery Street", which is located close to JR Saijo Station, has seven historical sake breweries. Saijo is known as "The City of Sake".
The Higashihiroshima Jiromaru Daiko, performing today, started in 1979 as a project to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the city.
The name "Jiromaru" is a name of the place that once existed, originated from the fact that it was called "Yokkaichi Jiromaru shuku" when Saijo used to be a lodging town on the Saigoku Kaido Highway.
Jiromaru Daiko has performed in China and the United States and participated in an event commemorating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam in 2018.
They have performed around 40 times a year inside and outside Hiroshima Prefecture, including overseas performances such as in Ho Chi Minh City, National Cultural Festivals, and the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Hiroshima.
They practice twice a week for four hours, but they are also trying to inherit Japanese traditions and thoughtfulness so they can not only learn how to beat drums, but also become a group who can think of people, think of their hometowns and cherish their relationships.

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Jinsekikogen-cho presentation speech
​（Students of Yuki High School/MORINO Anna）

Jinsekikogen-cho is a rural town located in eastern Hiroshima prefecture.
There are no highways, railways, or even a supermarket.
However, the town is filled with beautiful scenery, delicious produce and livestock products, and residents who continue to fight for their dreams.
On this stage, high school students introduced the charm of Jinsekikogen.

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Shobara City promotion
​（Hibagon (Shobara City mascot)）

Located squarely in the center of Japan’s Chugoku region, Shobara appeals with its scenery of satoyama (upland valley settlements with cultivated lower slopes), an iconic landscape of Japan. To entertain the summit venue in the spirit of Shobara, the mascot “Hibagon” makes an appearance. Hibagon is the name of a mysterious ape-man reportedly witnessed on the slopes of Mt. Hiba, in Saijo town, Shobara, on July 20, 1970. An object of fear at the time, today Hibagon is making a splendid showing as the adorable mascot of Shobara.

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Kagura"Yamata-no-Orochi"(eight-headed giant snake) Performance by Young people carrying on the traditional performing arts
（Hiroshima Prefectural Kake High School (Geihoku branch school) Kagura Club）

We, Hiroshima Prefectural Kake high school (Geihoku branch school) holds out the mission, “Both in academics and in sports”.
Under this policy, all students belonging to our school join club activities.
Through One of unique educational activities in our branch school “Kagura”, we engage in various interaction with local community and act with confidence as one of local members. In addition, we strongly support the development and succession of this traditional performance Kagura.

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Performance of "Mibu no Hana Taue," UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
​（Kawahigashi dengakudan）

Mibu no Hana Taue, the “ceremonial rice planting of Mibu,” is an agricultural ritual handed down virtually unchanged since ancient times. After the rice fields have been flooded and tilled in preparation for planting, cattle decorated with festive saddles plow the fields while women plant rice seedlings to musical accompaniment. Mibu no Hana Taue was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1976 and was registered in 2011 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Held every June in Mibu, a district of the Kitahiroshima Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, Mibu no Hana Taue is depicted in this picture scroll amid a bucolic scene of fresh verdure on the mountains in early summer. This rural scene, regarded as “the greatest picture scroll of early summer,” records the tradition of singing a planting song to pray for the blessings of nature.

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Calligraphy performance by junior high school students from Kumano Town, the brush capital of Japan
（Kumano Junior High School Calligraphy Club，Kumano Higashi Junior High School Calligraphy Club）

Kumano Town is the production center for Kumanofude (Kumano brushes), a traditional handicraft, and is widely recognized as a center of shodo, the Japanese art of writing.
Seeking to apply shodo in education, Kumano Town came together to implement a regional education program symbolizing Kumano as “the brush capital of Japan.” The shodo clubs of two local junior high schools, Kumano Junior High School and Kumano Higashi Junior High School, are presenting shodo performances on the theme of “Thoughts about Peace”. The students’ aim is to send a message to the world from Hiroshima as the host city of the G7 summit.

• Click here for details（Kumano Junior High School Calligraphy Club)（External website）​
• Click here for details（Kumano Higashi Junior High School Calligraphy Club)（External website）​

Kure City promotion
​(Kureshi(Kure City mascot))

Hello everyone. This is Kure City. Being surrounded by the sea, Japan has various seaside towns that have their own atmosphere. Kure City, adjacent to Hiroshima City, is one of them. Beautiful landscapes of islands. Warm-hearted local people. Vibrant towns. Various traditions have been handed down from ancient times. Delicious food. The seaside town Kure has a variety of characteristics. We are looking forward to welcoming you from all over  the world by saying “Come to Kure! Enjoy Kure!”
we will promote tourism with "Kure-shi," the official mascot of Kure City, who was born to promote Kure City. Kure-shi will also perform his specialty dance.

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Kagura"Yamata-no-Orochi"(eight-headed giant snake)
Inheritance and creation of traditional performing arts
(Hiroshima kaguradan (5 Cities and Towns jointly)) 

Kagura, a sacred music and dancing performed at shrines in Hiroshima Prefecture.
There are more than 300 local heritage theater companies.Among them, 17 members from 11 theater companies in Hiroshima City, Miyoshi City, Akitakata City, Kitahiroshima Town, and Akiota Town jointly performed "Yamata-no-Orochi".The performers are company employees and students. They are not so-called “professionals”.Although they are volunteers, they act traditional dance for their local communities.

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Armor dance performance Revived from the Sengoku period to the present day
​(Aki Hiroshima Busho-Tai)

Hiroshima is a city with deep historical roots. It originally flourished as a castle town that grew up around Hiroshima Castle, built roughly 400 years ago by MORI Terumoto, grandson of MORI Motonari, a prominent military commander of the Warring States period of Japanese history, approx. 1467-1568.
Founded in July 2013, Aki Hiroshima Busho-Tai is a troupe that performs songs, plays and sword shows, each member playing the role of a famous warrior of Hiroshima’s early days. Aki Hiroshima Busho-Tai is one of the most popular Busho-Tai (“samurai reenactment”) troupes among Japan’s many Busho-Tai fans. 

• Click here for details（External website）