Niigata: Youths Perform Stick-Fighting at Shrine Festival near Mt. Myoko - The Japan News

MYOKO, Niigata — A stick-fighting performance was held July 15 at Sekiyama Shrine in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture, to mark the start of the Sekiyama Fire Festival. The festival, which has a long history, conveys a local faith that reveres Mt. Myoko. It is believed that yamabushi mountain hermits began learning stick fighting in the Sengoku period (late 15th century to late 16th century). The yamabushi who practiced on Mt. Myoko acquired martial arts to protect the shrine from warring forces.

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Niigata: Youths Perform Stick-Fighting at Shrine Festival near Mt. Myoko - The Japan News

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