Kukami Matsuri, presented by renowned poet Shuntaro Tanikawa, was a community-collaborative art festival held in Dorogawa, a mountain village in Nara Prefecture. Nine artists (Senzo Ueno, Wakako Kaku, Miya Kaneko, Hiroko Kikuchi, Mitunori Kimura, Yasuhide Kunimoto, Maiko Kanno, Keiyou Hayashi, and Yu Yamada) embodied "oni" (supernatural beings) and created works in collaboration with local residents.

Dorogawa has served as a sacred site for Shugendō (mountain asceticism) for 1,300 years and is home to the legend of Zenki and Goki—oni couple who served En no Gyōja, the founder of this spiritual tradition. Descendants of Goki are believed to still live in the village today. Inspired by these tales, poet Wakako Kaku created an original narrative, The Tale of Nine Oni, which formed the foundation of the festival. Tanikawa entrusted each of the nine artists with poetic texts, which they used as creative seeds for their collaborative works developed through residencies with local partners. Many pieces remain in Dorogawa, continuing to live with the community.

The project originated when artists who participated in the 2021 MIND TRAIL Okuyamato art program fell in love with Dorogawa and sought ways to maintain their connection with the village. Launched as a self-initiated festival, Kukami Matsuri aspires to become a new tradition that helps preserve the area's rich cultural heritage.