Performers proceed to the dance floor, waving staves and sickles in time with the music. The staff dance begins with the call of "Yah-sa. The performers dance to the music with staves and sickles while striking and jumping over the tools. In this dance, which is performed in three rows in vertical formation, the dancers on the two sides carry six-foot staves. Those in the middle carry sickles. In the old days real sickles were used in the performance. It is said that the dance was inherited from Takada in Yatsushiro City between the late Edo period and beginning of the Meiji period. It was originally a petition for rain during times of drought. Today, it is a festival dedication to pray for a good harvest. It is also performed at such celebrations as completion ceremonies. The song is elegant and the dance is one of the most dynamic among the staff dances of the Kuma region.