Hirosaki Neputa

Overview

The Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri is a summer festival representative of the Tsugaru region, held every year from August 1 to 7 in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. The sight of enormous fan-shaped lanterns called ogi neputa, painted with warrior images and the like, parading through the castle town to the spirited cry of yaya-do and the beat of great drums is overwhelming, and it is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the nation. As a representative festival of Tsugaru, ranked alongside the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri of Aomori City, it bustles with many tourists during its run.

Although it is a festival of the same Tsugaru region, a great distinguishing feature lies in the fact that, in contrast to the Aomori Nebuta, whose stars are three-dimensional figure-shaped lanterns, the Hirosaki Neputa has fan-shaped lanterns as its stars. The contrast of the images painted on the front and back of the fan, and the distinctive atmosphere in which stillness and motion coexist, have made it cherished as a festival that combines the calm refinement and valor nurtured by the character of a land that is the castle town of Hirosaki Castle.

History and Origins

The origin of the Hirosaki Neputa, like that of the Aomori Nebuta, is said to derive from the nemuri-nagashi purification rite of driving away, by washing into the water, the drowsiness that hinders summer farm work. The name neputa too is thought to be a corruption of nemuri, meaning sleep, and the old custom of sending off impurity and drowsiness using lanterns lives on at the foundation of this festival.

In the records, it is known as an old example that in 1722 the fifth lord of the Hirosaki domain, Tsugaru Nobuhisa, viewed the neputa within the castle, and it can be inferred that by the domain period it had already taken root as an annual event of the castle town. The historical background unique to Hirosaki, which developed as a castle town, has given the festival the prestige of samurai culture.

The ogi neputa that characterizes the Hirosaki Neputa was not fan-shaped from the start but was refined into its present form over the ages. The fan shape has the advantage of allowing the whole of the image to be surveyed at a glance from the front, and as the painters of Tsugaru competed in their skill to paint in warrior images, its artistry as painting was heightened year by year.

Today, neputa of various sizes are made by each operating group, and around eighty neputa parade through the city during the period. Through the hands of painters who inherit the traditional techniques and of local people who take charge of the music, this summer tradition of Tsugaru, continuing from the domain period, is carefully handed down across the generations.

Highlights

The Fan-Shaped Ogi Neputa The greatest distinguishing feature of the Hirosaki Neputa is the large fan-shaped lantern, the ogi neputa. In contrast to the three-dimensional figure-shaped form of the Aomori Nebuta, this format of painting images on a flat fan has the charm of allowing the whole image to be surveyed from the front, and it developed as a style unique to Tsugaru. A small number of figure-shaped kumi neputa are also paraded, and being able to compare the two forms is one of the pleasures.

The Contrast of the Kagami-e and the Miokuri-e A highlight of the ogi neputa lies in the contrast of the two kinds of images painted on the front and back of the fan. On the front is the kagami-e, a valiant warrior image drawing on themes such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the Water Margin, while on the back is the miokuri-e, a colorful yet forlorn image such as a portrait of a beauty, so that one can savor the contrasting sentiments of valor and stillness in a single neputa.

The Cry of Yaya-do Coloring the parade of the Hirosaki Neputa is the distinctive cry of yaya-do. Completely different from the rassera of the Aomori Nebuta, this cry has a weighty resonance imbued with the deep feeling of the people of Tsugaru, and together with the music of the great drums and flutes it raises the mood of the neputa in the castle town.

The Great Drums of the Tsugaru Joppari Taiko At the head of the parade and at key points, enormous drums reaching several meters in diameter are beaten. The belly-resounding sound of the spirited great drums, also called the Tsugaru joppari taiko, symbolizes the fervor of the festival, and its powerful tone rings out far into the distance, setting the hearts of the spectators racing.

The Parade Through the Castle Town The Hirosaki Neputa is paraded on the stage of the streets of the castle town that holds Hirosaki Castle. The sight of the neputa, clad in light, advancing in a line through the historic townscape is full of the atmosphere unique to a castle town. The roadsides of the parade course are filled with many spectators, and the summer nights of Tsugaru are colored fantastically.

Prestige as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property The Hirosaki Neputa, its historical and cultural value recognized, is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the nation. This festival, which conveys to the present the old custom originating in nemuri-nagashi and has been supported by the skill of painters and the local bearers continuing from the domain period, is positioned as a crystallization of the folk culture of Tsugaru, not merely a tourist event.

Event Information

• Location: The central city area of Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture (the parade course)
• Period: August 1 to 7 each year
• Main Events: The parade of ogi neputa and kumi neputa, the performance of great drums, and the send-off of the seventh day (final day)
• Access: On foot or by bus from JR Hirosaki Station to the parade course. Traffic is restricted during the period, so public transport is recommended
• Admission: Free to watch from the roadside (some paid viewing seats are available)
• Official Information: The parade schedule and course are announced through the official information of the Hirosaki Neputa Operating Committee and Hirosaki City

Nearby Attractions

Hirosaki City, the stage of the Hirosaki Neputa, is a historic city that prospered as the castle town of the Tsugaru domain of one hundred thousand koku. To be visited alongside the festival is Hirosaki Castle, whose surviving keep, imposing turrets, moats, and stone walls preserve the appearance of former days, and which is cherished as Hirosaki Park, known for its beauty in every season, with cherry blossoms in spring, autumn foliage, and snowscapes in winter.

Hirosaki is also known as a land that eagerly accepted Western culture in the Meiji era, and many Western-style buildings and brick architecture remain in the city. The unique townscape fusing Japanese and Western styles, such as the former Hirosaki City Library and the Aomori Bank Memorial Hall, is a sight unique to Hirosaki, where the traditions of a castle town and the memory of a stylish modern age coexist.

Hirosaki, the center of Tsugaru, is also famous nationwide as a major producer of apples. In the city one can enjoy comparing apple pies, and venturing a little farther one is blessed with the magnificent form of Mount Iwaki and the renowned hot springs of Tsugaru, so that using the Neputa Matsuri as a starting point one can expand into a trip savoring nature and culture to the full.

Related Information

• Month: Early August (summer)
• Prefecture: Aomori Prefecture (Tsugaru region, Tohoku region)
• Origin: Derives from the nemuri-nagashi purification rite; a record of a lord's viewing in 1722
• Form: The fan-shaped ogi neputa is the star (in contrast to the three-dimensional figure form of the Aomori Nebuta)
• Cultural Property: Designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the nation
• Highlights: The contrast of the front and back kagami-e and miokuri-e, the cry of yaya-do, and the great drums

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