Sugo Shishi (lion) is a dance performed annually on September 5th as an expression of thanks for a bounteous grain harvest. It is held in the Hakusan Shrine in Kami Sugo and in the Matsuo Hakusan Shrine in Shimo Sugo. The Sugo Shishi is designated as an important, ethnic, cultural, heritage event in Gifu Prefecture. The lion dance consists of three performances:"Kyokushishi", "Tengushishi" and "Kinzoshishi". Each dance is taught by a village patriarch called "Gimiai".
There is a legend that in the Nara period a monk who visited from Shinra (Korea) saw lions dancing in the woods and taught the dance to the villagers. This legend explains why "Sugo Shishi" is also known as "Kourai (Korean) Shishi".