Asakura's Ladder Lion

Muyama Shrine is said to have been founded by Fujiwara Genta Masanari in 1266, and has been revered by the people of Asakura. The Muyama Shrine's ladder lion festival began as a celebration of a good harvest the following year and a lion memorial service, as a lion was used to defeat a lion (wild boar) that had been tormenting the people of Asakura at the time. A tower about 9 meters high made of log pillars is likened to a mountain, and a pair of lions, consisting of a lion head (kabu) and a lion torso (usu), perform acrobatic dances to the accompaniment of music.