Koza Athletics Stadium (Zento Eisa Matsuri)

photo by Kk123456123456 · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by 運動会プロテインパワー · CC BY-SA 4.0

It began in 1956 as a contest between 9 groups; today it draws three hundred thousand people over three days.

The eisā (エイサー) is the drum dance with which people in Okinawa accompany the spirits of their ancestors during Obon; each neighbourhood has its own group, with its own choreography and songs. The festival began in 1956, the year the city of Koza (now Okinawa City) was founded: with the local economy hit by a closure of the military bases, the shopkeepers organised an eisā contest between nine groups to ‘lift their spirits by dancing’. It grew to become, from 1977, the largest eisā gathering on the island: three days, dozens of groups from all over Okinawa and from its twin towns, three hundred thousand spectators.

It is held in the athletics stadium inside Koza Sports Park and in the streets of the surrounding city centre.

ℹ️ The park and the stadium are open to the public outside events. During the festival, access to the stands is through the festival's ticketing.

🚉 沖縄南インター · 5 min walk

Sources: zentoeisa.com · kozaweb.jp

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