Beautiful life with blessings from the mountains and the sea

Hirono-Town was once part of Hachinohe-han and prospered in the Edo period with its legacy of horse breeding. The town was established in 2006, when a seaside town of Taneichimachi and a mountain village of Ohnomura were merged. This town, spreading from beautiful sea to the highlands, is blessed with gifts from nature. The Taneichi region faces the sea and is known for its popular surfing spots with good waves. It is also known as the birth-place of a traditional diving technique called “Nanbumoguri.” Harvesting sea squirts by “Nanbumoguri” is a thriving industry here. Also, in an effort to propagate sea urchins, they have been digging ditches in the bedrock in shallow water.
On the mountainside, the Ohno region is well -known for its beautiful “Ohno Woodwork,” which utilizes local wood. The Hironomakiba Observatory in this region has been chosen as the best place to observe the night sky. Observing the sky full of beautiful stars twinkling as if they exist just for you is truly a moving experience.

Diverse folk performing arts nurtured by the harmony of horses and nature

During Obon and other festivities, people in the villages of Ohno dance a mysterious Bon dance called “Nanyadoraya,” danced to a repeated incantation-like chanting of “Nanyadora, Nanyadonasareno.” This dance, practiced from the southern part of Aomori to the northern part of Iwate, is believed to be the oldest type of Bon dancing. Today it is often performed at summer festivals by people dancing in unison in a parade-like formation.
In Hirono-Town, which prospered throughout history with breeding horses, there are many folk performing arts related to horses. In this region, there used to be a ritualistic practice called “Nobatori Gyoji,” where people take home pastured horses when they become two years old. “Kadonohama Komaodori” is a traditional dance that visualizes this ritual. “Ohno Komaorodi,” a mass formation dance of Takeuma (Bamboo Horses) on stilts, a game popular in the Edo period, is another dance still performed here. The region is rich with many historically important folk dances including Takisawa Keimai, performed during the Urabon festival as a prayer for the spirits of the dead, and Wazakagura, which is rooted in Yamabushi-kagura. One could say that in each dance, the ancient way of living with horses and co-existing with nature is still vividly alive.