Kusaji is an agricultural area sprawling over the fan-shaped hills behind Hirose River and Akasaka River, north of central Bungotakada. Known as Kusaji-Shou since the Kamakura period, the Kusaji Odori (Kusaji Dance), a kind of bon-odori dance handed down here, has spread throughout the entire city area. It has not only become a dance representing Oita, but has bathed in the limelight on stages overseas.

　The dance started nearly 300 years ago during the Kyouhou period. At the time, it was likely a rustic dance given as an offering to the ancestors. One feels the strength and wisdom of the people who cultivated it to this level, and who have kept the tradition and refined it even further. The Sightseeing Bon-Odori Festival hosted by the city is held in Chuou Park during mid-August. Here, children’s dance troupes and citizen’s groups in colorful costumes form several circles around a special wooden stage, their spirits high.

　However, it doesn’t end there. The climax is waiting. On the specially-built wooden main stage are taiko drums, shamisen, and speakers with umbrellas open go on stage, and a dozen or so girls selected by the Kusaji Odori Preservation Society dance between the stages.

　There are four kinds of dances. First is “Reso,” from “the land beneath the castle in Takada of Bungo.” Next is “Makkase,” followed by “Yansoresa.” First, dancers moving slowly in yukata speed up with each change, with quick costume changes during Makkase. Now in shorts and a short happi coat, the final dance, Rokuchoushi, is fast-paced and lively, with spirit and style the strong points of this dance.

　At the start of the Showa period, they won the National Local Dance Tournament, and after the war, they performed at the Osaka Expo (1970), then toured across Europe.

The dance has been refined by adding stage directions to the dance’s inherent appeal. This was possible only through the efforts of the Preservation Society and the support of citizens.