Paantu
宮古島のパーントゥFestivalJanuary, February, April, May, June, July, September, OctoberMiyako Islands
Paantu is a sacred rite of visiting gods held by the villages of Shimajiri and Nobaru on Miyako-jima, and UNESCO listed it in 2018. The villages keep the dates to themselves until just before, because visitors who did not understand the rite have caused trouble.
Photo Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Paantu (パーントゥ) means a monster or spirit, and in these rites the paantu come into the village as visiting gods who drive out misfortune and bless the harvest to come. In Shimajiri (島尻) three paantu covered in shiinokikazura vines and mud go out through the settlement after prayers with five women priestesses (mizumai) at the sacred site of Upattanushibara. In Nobaru (野原) in Ueno, men and women walk a set route after prayers at dusk on the last ox day of the twelfth lunar month, and one boy wears the paantu mask.
Both rites together are a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. UNESCO added them to its intangible heritage list in 2018 as part of Raiho-shin (ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes).
The villages hold Paantu for themselves. Miyako's tourism association says visitors who took part without understanding the rite have caused trouble, so the dates stay unannounced until just before and the association cannot pass them on early. Please do not plan a trip around Paantu or go looking for it. If you happen to be on Miyako when it takes place, stay well back and do what the villagers ask.
FAQ
Quick answers about Paantuよくある質問
When is Paantu on Miyako-jima?
Paantu follows the lunar calendar, and the villages of Shimajiri and Nobaru announce the dates only shortly before, according to Miyako's tourism association. The association does not give the dates out early.
Should tourists plan a trip around Paantu?
No. Paantu is a sacred village rite, and Miyako's tourism association says visitors who did not understand it have caused trouble. The villages keep the dates quiet until just before.
What is Paantu?
Paantu is a rite in which visiting gods come into the villages of Shimajiri and Nobaru on Miyako-jima to drive out misfortune. In Shimajiri the paantu arrive covered in vines and mud. It is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and joined UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2018.
When is Paantu?
Paantu takes place by the lunar calendar on dates the villages announce only shortly before. Shimajiri holds it three times a year (end of the 3rd into the 4th month, end of the 5th into the 6th, and the start of the 9th); Nobaru on the last ox day of the 12th month. The solar months are our conversion.