The lion dance is performed by young people from the Ue-machi, Naka-machi, and Shin-machi areas of Ogawa Town and children from Ogawa Elementary School. It is based on the following heroic legend. In 1592, when Kato Kiyomasa, the lord of Kumamoto Castle, went to the Korean peninsula, a big tiger appeared every night attacking his guards one after another. A vassal of the lord, chopped down a huge tree, carved a magnificent lion, and placed it at the front of the camp. After that, the tiger stopped attacking. Kiyomasa was so delighted that when he returned to Japan he held an offering at Fujisaki Hachiman-gu Shrine in Kumamoto City. He offered up a lion dance to ward off evil spirits. Later the lion dance is said to have been moved to Aso Shrine in Ogawa. Nowadays, the lion dance is offered at the autumn festival of Ogawa Aso Shrine. The drums, gong, suona (a small horn like instrument), and clothes are full of Chinese sentiment. The agile movement of the lion playing with a child's ball, in particular, is both dynamic and charming.