１２年に１度しか見られない貴重な“トラ”　恵美須神社「十日えびすの“虎獅子”」【香川・東かがわ市】 (22/01/10 18:08)

This is a hot topic surrounding the 2022 zodiac sign, the tiger. The star of the story is the rare tiger that appears only in the Year of the Tiger, the Toka Ebisu festival. The Toka Ebisu festival was held on the 10th at Ebisu Shrine in Sanbonmatsu, Higashikagawa City. What exactly is this tiger that can be seen here? (Reporter Yuki Kono) "At this Ebisu Shrine, you can see the traditional Higashikagawa performing art of the tiger lion dance." The tiger lion, which boasts a history of approximately 300 years in Higashikagawa City, is a type of lion dance dedicated at autumn festivals. It is said to have been brought from Kyoto to Shiratori Shrine in the city around the beginning of the Edo period. Normally, the tiger lion can only be seen at autumn festivals, but for the Year of the Tiger, a local preservation society also performs it at the Toka Ebisu festival. A rare sight that can only be seen once every 12 years... Their heroic dance delighted the eyes of those who visited. (Visitors...) "It was really cool." "It was impressive and great." (Tomokuni Shunsuke, Matsunoshita Tiger Lion Preservation Society) "The world is in a difficult situation due to COVID-19, but 2022 is the year of the tiger, so I hope we can all perform the Tiger Lion Dance together, hoping to stay as strong as a tiger." The traditional Tiger Lion dance has been carefully passed down from our ancestors. It will next be performed at the Autumn Festival in October.