The highlight of the Spring Festival, also known as "the strangest festival in Japan," which changes its appearance from day to night.

  • Gifu
  • Sightseeing
Image courtesy of Hida City
The Hida area is buried in snow from December to March, and after a long and harsh winter, the people of Hida hold a festival in April, when the snow melts, with the full force of the community! The year starts with a festival to give thanks for the coming of spring and to wish for a bountiful harvest.

The Furukawa Festival, held annually on April 19-20 in Hida City, is an annual festival of the Kida Wakamiya Shrine in the town and is designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The Furukawa Festival consists of three major events: a Shinto ritual at the shrine, a traditional "portable shrine procession," a "yatai procession" of gorgeous floats, and a "kishidaiko" parade of men dressed in sarashi beating drums through the town, creating a grand historical picture scroll over the course of two days.

There are many highlights of the festival, but we will introduce each of them in three separate events!

The solemn "Mikoshi Procession

Mikoshi (portable shrine)
First, on the 19th, a solemn Shinto ritual will be performed at the main shrine of Keta Wakamiya Shrine. (The ritual is not open to the public!) Gagaku (ancient Japanese court music) and dances are dedicated, and the festival begins here.
The shrine is then dedicated to the lion dance and the sounding of the Tokeiraku bell to purify the approach to the shrine, and the Shinto ritual is followed by a prayer and the transfer of the portable shrine from the shrine to the deity. A procession of about 300 people parades the mikoshi, which is carried by the shrine parishioners dressed in traditional costumes. The mikoshi will stay overnight at the Otabisho and depart the next day on the 20th, returning to the shrine as it parades through the town with highlights such as gagaku music and lion dances.
Tabisho (a place of worship)
Cockfighting music

The quiet "yatai parade

Yatai
Children's Kabuki
The Furukawa yatai, a crystallization of the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, was brought from Edo and enhanced by Hida masters, and the addition of karakuri dolls from Kyoto gave it a unique form. The yatai are responsible for the dewdrops of the portable shrine procession, and until the explicit era, they actually led the procession. Today, a flag bearing the name of each yatai acts in its place.
On the 19th, 10 yatai are pulled in their respective areas, and on the 20th, the Hikigarae is held at an agreed-upon location. The beauty of the polished lacquer, carvings, wooden ornaments, and other technical masterpieces is well suited to the emotional townscape of Furukawa. The festival is a gorgeous historical picture scroll, with the dedication of the Seiryu-dai (blue dragon stand) and Kirin-dai (kirin stand) as well as the children's kabuki performance on the Byakko-Dai (white tiger stand) at the various tsuji-godos here and there. At the night festival, the floats light up with lanterns, and the small swaying lanterns give the floats a different look than they have during the day.
Night Festival

Kishidaiko, the "movement" of the festival

Kishidaiko (drum)
night of the 19th. The "Kishi-daiko" festival opens with hundreds of naked men chanting a celebratory song. When the big taiko drums start to move, each group's tsuke-daiko (attached drums) valiantly follow them, and the battle continues until late in the evening. It is considered an honor to have a small taiko called tsuke-daiko in close proximity to the o-daiko, and a fierce battle for the lead ensues!
Before the start of the Kishidaiko at 8:00 p.m., the 12 tsuke-daiko perform the "Tombo" in a vigorous and lively manner. Before 8:00 p.m., the 12 attached taiko drummers perform a vigorous "tonbo." This is followed by a prayer of congratulation, a tamagushi offering, a greeting from the head priest (the person in charge of the kishidaiko), the celebratory song "Wakamatsu-sama," and the launching of the taiko drums. The sight of several hundred men gathered to sing "Wakamatsu-sama" with great enthusiasm is a sight to behold! When the battle between the kishi-daiko and tsuke-daiko begins, 12 tsuke-daiko attack the oar carried by more than 100 men, and a wild struggle for willpower and prestige ensues...! Come and experience the fierce and heroic clash of naked men up close and personal.
Dragon Boat
Kishidaiko (drum)
Please check the Furukawa Matsuri website for more information on the day's events.
Click here to visit the Furukawa Festival website!
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