As the oldest member of a group performing the Omagarihama lion dance, Shinichiro Tsuda, 77, feels a powerful duty to preserve the tradition that stretches back more than 300 years in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture.
"I would like to continue to hand down this tradition," Tsuda said in an interview.
The lion dance is integral to the Omagarihama district, famous for seaweed farming until the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami destroyed the business. The dance has been designated by the coastal city as an intangible cultural asset.