The Lion Dance of Toya

A folk festival with a three-hundred-year history held at Suwa Shrine in Toya in Sagamihara City’s Midori Ward, Kanagawa Prefecture. Within the shrine grounds, a father, mother, and child lion line up and dance to the sound of flutes and singing. As a prayer dance that retains a simplicity passed down since the 17th century, it is unique in Japan.