「多久神社ささら舞」短編（出雲市多久町　多久神社のささら舞保持者会）

The Dengaku dance performed at the annual festival of Taku Shrine in the former Hirata City, Taku Town, is called "Sasara Mai." There are four traditional Dengaku dances in Shimane Prefecture, and this is one of them, passed down by parishioners associated with Taku Shrine. There is a legend about the origin of Sasara Mai. Long ago, the Matsumoto family migrated to this area by boat from Matsumoto Village in Omi Province. That boat became Mount Ofunayama, and the deity enshrined there became Ofuna Daimyojin. It is said that they began the "Sasara Mai" to commemorate the hardships of their sea voyage. Even today, it is a solemn and ceremonial dance performed by seven families with the Matsumoto surname and one family with the Takuwa surname (who is said to be a powerful local family skilled in sumo wrestling). The instruments used are a drum worn at the waist, a large zasara (binzasara), and a small zasara (surizasara), and the dance includes movements of large and small waves. After the Sasara dance concludes, individual dances are performed with the large Sasara, followed by a ceremonial sumo wrestling match. This is a Shimane Prefecture-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property (05'50"). (Photographed in 2003)