Kakegawa Matsuri

The Kakegawa Matsuri is an autumn festival held in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, known as a joint festival of multiple shrines including Tatsuo Shrine, Shinmei-gū, Toshi Shrine, Ikebe Shrine, Hakusan Shrine, Tsushima Shrine, and Kifune Shrine. Held annually around the Health and Sports Day holiday in October, it transforms the central district of the former castle town of Kakegawa into a festive spectacle.

The Kakegawa Matsuri is especially famous for its grand festival (ō-matsuri) held once every three years, when dozens of floats (yatai) from neighborhoods across the city parade through the streets with lavish decorations and spirited festival music. Among the highlights are Kakegawa's distinctive lion dances, the traditional "yakko dōchū" procession, and the three great entertainments of the Kakegawa Grand Festival—"Kankaramachi," the "Great Lion," and the "Great Lion of Nitō"—which embody the essence of regional culture cultivated over a long history.

Kakegawa flourished as a post town on the Tōkaidō highway and as a castle town, and the urban layout surrounding Kakegawa Castle itself becomes the stage for the festival. The sight of neighborhoods competing with pride through their floats and performances symbolizes community solidarity and the transmission of tradition. The procession of floats advancing through the autumn night, their lanterns swaying, evokes the distinctive atmosphere of a castle town in the Tōkai region.