Let's go by train from Toyama Station! To Ecchu Yatsuo, the town of Owara and Hikiyama

  • Toyama
  • Sightseeing
Ecchu Yatsuo
Ecchu Yatsuo is famous as a town of slopes with traditional rows of houses. The town, which has flourished in the sericulture industry since the Edo period, attracts many people with its gorgeous Hikiyama Festival in the spring and the graceful and elegant Owara Kaze no Bon Festival in the fall, which has a history of more than 300 years.

Ecchu Yatsuo Hikiyama Festival

The Ecchu Yatsuo Hikiyama Festival is held annually on May 3 in Yatsuo Town, Toyama City. The gorgeous and gorgeous Hikiyama ritual, which is a symbol of Etchu Yatsuo, a prosperous sericulture town in the Edo period, is still handed down to this day. The history of the Hikiyama Festival dates back to 1741, and it is said to have originated in the pulling of hina dolls, which were given by the lord of the Toyama Domain, and amateur actors on board. Later, each town in Yatsuo competed with each other in the development of the festival, which has been passed down to the present gorgeous floats. The Yatsuo Hikiyama is approximately 7.5 meters high and weighs about 4 tons. It is a two-tiered doll float, decorated with extravagant carvings. A musician rides inside the lower part of the float, which is covered with a bamboo screen, and plays shamisen, flute, drums, and other musical instruments to enliven the procession of the floats. The lion dance leads the procession, followed by the portable shrine and then the floats. The sight of the floats slowly making their way through the hilly and narrow streets of Yatsuo is a sight to behold. Three of the six Yatsuo Hikiyama are on display at the Toyama City Yatsuo Hikiyama Exhibition Hall in the town.
Hikiyama in Ecchu Yatsuo

Etchu Yatsuo Owara Kaze no Bon Festival

The "Owara Kaze no Bon Festival," held annually from September 1 to 3 in early autumn, is a traditional event with a history of about 300 years.
On the day of the festival, the entire town is decorated with thousands of bonbori (paper lanterns), and dancers dressed in yukata and happi coats from each town in Yatsuo dance gracefully and delicately through the streets while "jikata" (local musicians) play shamisen, kokyu, songs, musical instruments, and drums, creating a fantastic atmosphere.
Fantastic and graceful Owara Kaze no Bon Festival Photo Source: Toyama Tourism Promotion Organization

What is Owara?

There is a theory that the word "Owara" came to be sung in the Edo period, when the word "Owarahi" was inserted into a song in the seven-fifths key created by the masters of the performing arts of Yatsuo, and the song was paraded around the town. There is also a theory that the song was first sung by a daughter of Obara Village in the vicinity of Yatsuo.

What is Kaze no Bon Festival?

The period around 210 days counting from Risshun (the first day of spring) is the time of year when typhoons arrive, and people prayed for a good harvest to appease the wind god to prevent wind damage to the rice before harvesting. This festival is called "Kaze no Bon Festival. It is also said that the local people call the holiday "Bon" (Bon), which may be the origin of the name.
Owara Kaze no Bon Festival Photo Source: Toyama Tourism Promotion Organization

Strolling around Yatsuo, the City of Slopes

The town was built by carving out a mountainous area to avoid the flooding of the river, and the town houses are built on slopes and stone walls, creating a landscape unique to Yatsuo. Suwa-machi in the old town of Yatsuo was selected as one of the "100 best roads in Japan" in 1986. In addition, Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine in Higashishinmachi is a rare shrine dedicated to silkworms. The shrine is located in Higashi-Shinmachi, and the water in the shrine grounds is shaped like a silkworm, making it a shrine rooted in Yatsuo's unique history.
Slope and stone wall of Zenji Temple
Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine

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