Located at the confluence of the Tani Kaido and Taniwaki Kaido roads, since the seventeenth century Obuse was the site of a market called Rokusai-ichi, held six times a month on days ending with a 3 or 8. Rice, rapeseed oil, and cotton from the Zenkoji-daira plain were carried off to Edo, bringing Obuse an influx of vibrant culture and information from the capital. The Yasu-ichi street fair, held at Kotai Shrine in the center of town on 14 and 15 January every year, bears traces of the old Rokusai-ichi. The shrine precincts are filled with vendors selling Daruma Dolls and other good luck articles. Many people pack the venue to watch fire-walking ascetics pray for health and harvest.
