March 25, 1999. The poetic charm of spring drawn upon a giant white canvas. Obihiro City, Hokkaido Prefecture. The Spring Festival of Ogunicho originally had its main festival on April 16 and the festivities begin on its eve, April 15. Recently, because the majority of the people who run the festival are working salarymen, the dates are often changed to coincide with holidays. My community, Taromaru, is home to some of the liveliest festival activities in Ogunicho. On the necks of the traditional puppets, the "Mikoji" or the shrine maiden and an old man, are engraved the "First year of Genji" so these marrionets are from the late Edo period. A puppet show, hand dance, and village drama is preformed and the grounds of the shrine fill with visitors form the neighborhood.

	Before the festival begins, the "Miko" and "Jii" dolls are dedicated to t he shrine.		After a series of ceremonies are over, the puppet dance finally begins. The leisurely dance of the "Miko" is quite a contrast to the violent movements of the "Jii".
	The hand dance is a fundamental skill for the puppet dance. Only those who have mastered the hand dance can touch the puppets.		This year the "Horagai Horatatro" local tale was performed over the course of an hour. I was one of the actors.