Traditional Sake-Making Added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List

A tōji (master brewer) stirring fermentation mash as part of the process of making sake at Yamatogawa Brewery in Kitakata, Fukushima, in 2015. (© Jiji)

Sagi Mai of the Tsuwano Yasaka Jinja in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture. (© Jiji)

The Oni Kenbai in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture. (© Pixta)

Akita Prefecture’s Nishimonai Bon Odori. (© Pixta)

Collecting sap by tapping tree trunks as part of the production and refinement of Japanese urushi lacquer. (© Jiji/Japan Urushikaki Preservation Society)

The Oga no Namahage festival. (© Jiji)

Hakata Gion yamakasa floats. (Courtesy Kusano Seiichirō)

Cattle plowing at the Mibu no Hana Taue rice-planting ritual. (Courtesy Hiroshima Prefecture)

A masked dancer leaps while performing the Hayachine Kagura. (Courtesy Iwate Prefecture Tourism Association)

A bunraku puppet. (Courtesy Ōsawa Hisayoshi)