Lion Dance at Mizudome-no-Mai festival

700 years ago, the abundant rains at the beginning of summer caused a large flooding in Edo, leading to the creation of a tradition that lasted until today.

At the end the rainy season, at the Gonshoji temple in Ota-ku, Tokyo, takes place a rain-stopping dancing festival, Mizudome-no-mai. The dancers are wearing on the head a big wooden lion mask (shishi-gashira), are playing taiko drums and are dancing to honor the dragon god, invoking him to stop the rain.