| Click on the above calendar to view
festivals in other months |
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Chichibu
Yomatsuri (02, 03 December)
Saitama prefecture, Chichibu city
Chichibu Yomatsuri (Chichibu
Night Festival) held by Chichibu-jinja
(shrine) has over 300 years of history
and is considered one of the 3 biggest
hikiyama (float) festivals in
Japan. Even though it uses the least number
of floats (6 compared to Gion Festival’s
32), these 10-tonne national cultural
assets are in no way any less impressive.
The Chichibu region, known for its kinu (silk) produce, had many kinu markets in the area during the Edo period. The festival was held as a closing event marking the end of the silk trading activities on the 3rd of December every year. Even though the kinu markets no longer exist presently, the townsfolk still celebrate this year-end event with much aplomb.
In the evening, the 6 floats start off from the grounds of Chichibu-jinja and parade towards the Chichibu park which is about 1 kilometre away. Of the 6 ornately crafted floats, 4 of them (yatai) are built with a stage in front for Kabuki acts and folk dances presented by child performers while in the backstage area, musicians provide musical accompaniment on traditional Japanese instruments. The toughest part of the journey comes just before the destination when the floats have to be wheeled uphill over Dango-zaka. However, the struggle is instantly rewarded by the magnificent display of fireworks lighting up the night sky. |
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Karatsukunchi (02 -04 November)
Saga prefecture, Karatsu city
This festival was started among the villagers who strongly believed that they were under the protection of a tutelary god in that region.During the Showa period, the emperor’s convalescence warranted a hold on all festive activities. Karatsukunchi, however, was never cancelled despite threats because the locals felt that it was all the more reason to hold the festival to pray for good health. So for 400 years, Karatsukunchi continued to survive and about 180 years ago the hikiyama (floats paraded through town during the 3-day festival) made their first appearances.
The hikiyama -- 14 of them to be exact -- are each constructed with an internal wooden frame and then papered over and lacquered. It takes 2 to 3 years to complete one and the biggest hikiyama goes up to 6.8 metres in height and weighs 3 tons. The year they were completed became the order of their appearances during the parade. This order is strictly adhered to except for the 13th (Shachi) and the 14th (Shichihoumaru) hikiyama. As they were completed at the same date, their order of appearances switches from time to time. The hikiyama -- starting with Akajishi (red lion) and ending with Shichihoumaru -- are wheeled through the town by large teams of men, often turning tight corners at precarious speed. Accompanying the giant floats are the lilt of Japanese flutes, the rhythmic beats of the drum and the paraders’ chant of "en-ya en-ya" and "oi-sa oi-sa". On the last day, the hikiyama are returned to the Hikiyama Tenji-ba (exhibition hall) where they are exhibited until the festival comes round again next year. |
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Nada-no-Kenka
Matsuri (14 -15 October)
Nada Matsuri or Nada-no-Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival) is an annual festival held at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine of Shirahama town in Himeji city. Villagers prepare for this celebration one year in advance. On the day of the event, paced by the rumbles of drumbeats, large teams of men clad in mawashi chant "Yoi yasa!" as they parade palaquins (yatai) to the Matsubara Shrine to receive blessings from the local Shinto priest. On the second day, the intensity of this physically demanding event heightens. The yatai, each representing a deity, are forcefully jostled together and thus the name ’Nada Fighting Festival’. It is believed that the harder they collide, the more pleased the deities will be and the more prosperous the village will become. The near-end of the festival involves an arduous ascend up the mountain with those palaquins followed by a descend. Despite the risk of injuries and even death, this festival remains one of the more interesting events to behold in autumn. |
Nada-no-Kenka Matsuri in Shirahama-cho
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Owara
Kaze no Bon (01-03 September)
Kaze no Bon, a festival that
dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868)
represented the people’s prayers
for protection from typhoons. The first
day of September was the "unlucky"
day when typhoons were likely to strike.
On this day, young men and women dance
through the streets of their town to the
slow, lilting tunes of folk songs called
owara. The music comes from the
three-stringed shamisen, taiko
drums and kokyu lutes. |
Owara
Kaze no Bon in Toyama Prefecture
Dancers dancing to traditional folk songs
called owara. Their faces are hidden
under braided straw hats so that the spirits
will not become overly attached to them.
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Gion Matsuri
in Kyoto (01-30 July)
If you are interested in ancient Japanese history, you should visit Kyoto during the Gion Matsuri which is one of the largest festivals in Japan. Its origins date back to the year 869 in the Heian period when people believed that plagues were caused by vengeful spirits. During the epidemic, a priest from Yasaka Jinja (shrine) led a procession of people through Kyoto in an attempt to appease the Shinto gods with prayers and rites. The plague ended but the event became a popular festival in Kyoto. The most exciting part of the festival is Yomaboko Junko (The Grand Procession) on the 17th when elaborately decorated Yama and Hoko floats are paraded through downtown. Some weighing over 10 tons, the Hoko floats are so big that they require a large team of attendants to manoeuvre them. |
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Mibu
no Hanadaue
Rice-transplanting Festival in Mibu
In Japan, June is the
season to plant rice and thus there are
many rice-planting festivals during this
period. In Mibu town, farmers transplant
rice while singing traditional songs and
beating drums to welcome the god of rice
paddies to the field and to pray for a
good harvest of rice. This festival is
known for its special "taue-uta"
(rice-planting songs). Taue means
transplanting rice shoots from the seedbed
to the rice paddy field. |
Hanadaue
in Mibu, Chiyoda, Hiroshima prefecture
(First Sunday of June)
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Sanja
Matsuri (Three-Shrine Festival)
Legend has it that about 1370 years ago,
two fisherman brothers, Hamanari and Takenari
Hinokuma, caught a statuette of Kannon,
the Goddess of Mercy, in their fishing
net along the Sumida River. A wealthy
landlord, Hajinomatsuchi heard about the
discovery and approached the brothers
and taught them about Buddha. Greatly
impressed, Hamanari and Takenari converted
to the Buddhist faith. The three men then
enshrined the statuette in a small temple
(Senso-ji) and devoted their
lives to preaching the way of Buddhism.
The temple grew and prospered together
with the surrounding district of Asakusa.
The 3 men recognized as the founders of
Asakusa were later revered as deities
and a shrine, Asakusa-Jinja was
built to honour them. Although the Asakusa-Jinja
is a guardian of the Senso-ji,
a new ruling in 1868 marks the separation
of the two. However, the commemoration
of these 3 deities continues with the
Sanja Matsuri as 3 portable shrines
are paraded through 44 towns to bless
town folks with prosperity and descendants. |
Sanja Matsuri
in Tokyo, Taito District (20, 21, 22 May)
Town folks shouting "Sei-ya! Sei-ya!"
as they parade the portable shrines tbrough
the town. |
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Doronko
Matsuri (Mud Festival)
During Doronko Matsuri, women
smear mud on men’s faces to wish
for good health and a fruitful harvest.
The origin of this festival dates back
about 380 years ago. A feudal lord was
inspecting his paddy field and one of
the rice-planting women threw mud at his
follower. Instead of getting riled by
such an act of impertinence, the feudal
lord tried to calm the furious man. When
the others in the field saw this, they
were so overjoyed that they started to
smear one another’s faces with mud. |
Doronko
Matsuri in Nagahama, Kochi City,
Kochi Prefecture (02 - 04 April)
Any male will receive pitapats of mud
on his face from girls and women dressed
up as paddy field workers. Beware! Not
even the cameraman will be spared. |
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Hina Matsuri
(Doll Festival) on 03 March
is a traditional Japanese event to bless
girls with growth and happiness. It is
also called Momo no sekku, or
peach festival since it coincides with
the season of peach blossoms, and a peach
tree has long been regarded as one of
the spiritual trees, which scare off demons
and symbolizes the power of life, agelessness
and peace. In modern Hina Matsuri,
many families with girl members display
hina dolls which is a set of
dolls comprising an emperor, an empress,
attendants, and musicians in ancient court
dress. Displayed along with that are symbolic
items in wishing good health for the girls
in the family. They are namely peach blossoms,
traditional Japanese crackers (hina-arare),
a set of diamond shaped rice cakes (hishimochi),
and a sweet, white alcohol drink (shirozake)
made with rice malt and sake. |
Hina
Matsuri
in Susaka-machi,
Nagano Prefecture.
(03 Mar - 03 Apr)
During this one month period, dolls
that have been passed down since the
ancient times will be specially exhibited
in museums and art galleries, thus attracting
large crowds of visitors. |
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Yuki Matsuri (05 - 11 February) held at Odori-koen, is Sapporo’s famous snow festival which attracts some 2 million visitors and boasts an impressive 170 snow sculptures to behold. There are even intricately detailed, gigantic sculptures of world landmarks such as the Taj Mahal. The festival now includes an international snow sculpture competition and many other events, such as co-ordinated ski jumping and nightly music performances. Arrive one week in advance and you’ll be able to see the sculptures being made, and even take part in the construction, since at least one of them in Odori-koen is a community effort. |
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