Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival

Overview

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a summer festival representative of Hakata, held at Kushida Shrine in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, each year from July 1 to 15. It is known throughout Japan for the spirited sight of men in loincloths bearing kaki-yamakasa floats weighing more than a ton and racing at full speed through the streets of Hakata, and it has been handed down as a rite dedicated to Kushida Shrine, the guardian shrine of all Hakata, with a history of some 780 years. It is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and is one of the festivals that make up the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Yama, Hoko, and Yatai float festivals.

A major feature of this festival is the coexistence of two kinds of floats: the gorgeous kazari-yamakasa built for display, and the kaki-yamakasa refined for racing. The former, with towering figures, adorns the town, while the latter races through the streets of Hakata competing for speed. That one can savor contrasting appeals in a single festival, the still and the moving, beauty and power, is why the Hakata Gion Yamakasa draws so many people.

History & Origins

The origins of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa are said to reach back to the year 1241 in the Kamakura period. When an epidemic spread through Hakata at that time, Shoichi Kokushi (Enni), founder of Jotenji Temple, is said to have ridden on a segaki platform and scattered prayer water through the town to pray for the banishment of the disease, and this is held to be the beginning. The starting point of a prayer to quell an epidemic is shared with the Gion faith of many regions, including the Gion Festival of Kyoto, and the Hakata yamakasa too developed with the wish for the banishment of disease and the goryo faith at its core.

By the Muromachi period, the custom of townspeople of Hakata bearing yamakasa in prayer for the prosperity of the town and the banishment of epidemics had become established. In the Warring States period the town of Hakata was burned in the turmoil of war, but after the Taiko Machiwari, the town division carried out by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to rebuild Hakata in 1587, the districts were laid out anew, and on this basis autonomous organizations called nagare were formed by district. To this day the Hakata Gion Yamakasa is run with the nagare as its unit, and the tradition of townspeople self-governance forms the very foundation of the festival.

In the Edo period, tall kazari-yamakasa decorated with gorgeous figures developed and were enjoyed as splendid spectacles competing in the wealth and aesthetic sense of Hakata. However, in 1898 the stringing of electric wires imposed height restrictions on the floats, so the kaki-yamakasa, built low for racing, and the kazari-yamakasa, towering high for display, separated, and the present two-fold form took shape. The constraint brought by modernization, in turn, gave rise to the distinctive culture of two kinds of yamakasa.

In recognition of its cultural value, the Hakata Gion Yamakasa was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1979. Furthermore, in 2016 it was registered, together with similar festivals from across the country, as one of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Yama, Hoko, and Yatai float festivals, and its value was recognized internationally as well. Beginning in a prayer for the banishment of epidemics and refined together with the self-governance of the townspeople, this festival lives on as the very identity of the people of Hakata.

Highlights

The climactic Oiyama The greatest highlight of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa is the Oiyama, held in the early morning of the final day, July 15. At 4:59 a.m., beginning with the Kushida-iri, in which the floats round the sacred banner set within the precincts of Kushida Shrine, the kaki-yamakasa of each nagare race at full speed over a course of about five kilometers. The sight of men in loincloths bearing the floats and running as water is thrown over them, through the still-dark streets of Hakata, is a scene that distills the essence of this festival.

The intensity of the Kushida-iri The Kushida-iri, the starting point of the Oiyama, is the moment when each nagare rounds the sacred way of Kushida Shrine, competing in the speed and momentum of the kaki-yamakasa. The sight of the enormous floats turning at once within the narrow precincts is full of power, and the time it takes to complete the Kushida-iri governs the honor of each nagare. The tension of this scene lies in its being at once a dedication before the deity and a serious contest staking the pride of each nagare against the others.

The towering kazari-yamakasa During the festival, kazari-yamakasa for display are erected throughout the streets of Hakata. The gorgeous figures, weaving in historical scenes, tales, and topical subjects, tower high, and looking up at them from close by, one is overwhelmed by their intricate craft and power. The front and back often depict different subjects, and one can enjoy the competition of skill among the doll artisans who carry on the craft of Hakata dolls.

The unity of the bearers organized by nagare The Hakata Gion Yamakasa is run with the nagare, the town organization derived from the Taiko Machiwari, as its unit. In the sight of the bearers, clad in loincloths and long happi coats, bearing the float as one to the cry of Oisa, Oisa, the solidarity and pride of each district are revealed. Bearing a single float requires dozens of people to match their breathing, and there the strength of the community that the townspeople of Hakata have nurtured is distilled.

The kioimizu and the fervor of the roadside While the floats race, kioimizu, momentum water, is thrown ceaselessly from the roadside. This spray, cast over the men and the floats to purify them and to cool the heat, adds coolness and vitality to the summer Hakata morning. The frenzy of the roadside, where the running men, the flying water, and the resounding cries become one, draws even onlookers in as participants in the festival.

The accumulation of rites over some two weeks Behind the splendor of the Oiyama, the Hakata Gion Yamakasa is built up through a series of rites beginning on July 1. The Oshioi-tori of gathering sand from the sea, the various events in which the bearers carry the float through the town, and the Oiyama-narashi, the rehearsal before the main event, and this very process of mounting day by day is part of the festival. Because the final-day Oiyama comes after the accumulation of prayer and training, all the fervor of Hakata is concentrated in that single instant.

Access & Information

• Location: Held around Kushida Shrine in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture (the old town district of Hakata)
• Timing: Each year from July 1 to 15. The climactic Oiyama is held in the early morning of July 15 (beginning at 4:59 a.m.)
• Main events: Oshioi-tori, the display of the kazari-yamakasa, the various kaki-yamakasa events, the Oiyama-narashi, and the Oiyama
• Organizing unit: Run with the nagare, derived from the Taiko Machiwari, as its unit
• Access: About a 15-minute walk from JR Hakata Station, or about a 3-minute walk from Gion Station on the Fukuoka City Subway. As the Oiyama is held in the early morning, confirming transport in advance is necessary.
• Admission: Roadside viewing is free. It is advisable to confirm exact dates and viewing information each year through the organizers and Kushida Shrine.

Around the Area

The Hakata Ward area, the stage of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa, is a district where the history of Hakata is concentrated. Kushida Shrine, the center of the festival, is the guardian shrine of all Hakata, affectionately called Okushida-san, and a kazari-yamakasa is displayed in its precincts year-round, so one can experience its power even outside the festival period. Nearby gather shrines and temples of venerable history, such as Jotenji Temple, said to be the birthplace of the yamakasa, and Tochoji Temple, known for its great Buddha.

Hakata was long a merchant town that flourished through trade with the continent, and that tradition remains strong today. At the Hakata Machiya Folk Museum one can learn of townhouse life in the Meiji and Taisho eras, and at the Hakata Traditional Craft and Design Museum one can learn of traditional crafts such as Hakata-ori textiles and Hakata dolls, giving a three-dimensional understanding of the townspeople culture that nurtured the yamakasa. Touching the history of Hakata behind the festival deepens one's view of the yamakasa itself.

Furthermore, Hakata is known throughout Japan as a mecca of yatai stall culture and local cuisine. Beginning with the yatai district of Nakasu, one can enjoy foods unique to Hakata, such as Hakata ramen, motsunabe, and mentaiko. Because access from Fukuoka Airport and Hakata Station is exceptionally good, making it a gateway from home and abroad, the summer Hakata Gion Yamakasa has drawn attention in recent years as a highlight of inbound tourism as well.

Related Information

• Timing: July 1 to 15 (summer). The climactic Oiyama is held in the early morning of July 15.
• Location: Kushida Shrine, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
• Origin tradition: Said to begin when Shoichi Kokushi of Jotenji Temple prayed for the banishment of an epidemic in 1241; a history of some 780 years.
• Organization: A festival led by townspeople, run with the nagare derived from the Taiko Machiwari of 1587 as its unit
• Cultural property: Designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1979; registered in 2016 as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage among the Yama, Hoko, and Yatai float festivals
• Feature: The kaki-yamakasa for racing and the kazari-yamakasa for display coexist. Men bear the kaki-yamakasa, weighing over a ton, and race with it.

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