Kurayami Matsuri

The Kurayami Matsuri ("Festival of Darkness") is the grand annual festival of Okunitama Shrine in Fuchu, Tokyo, held each year from April 30th to May 6th. As a leading traditional festival of the historic Musashi Province, it is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Tokyo and counted among the three great "eccentric festivals" of the Kanto region, boasting a history of over a thousand years.

The name "Kurayami Matsuri" derives from the fact that the festival's climax—the procession of the portable shrines (mikoshi togyo)—was once carried out in the darkness of the dead of night. Out of awe that ordinary people should not gaze upon the divine presence, all lights were extinguished and the mikoshi were borne through pitch-black darkness, giving the festival its name. Although the procession is now held from evening into night, its solemn atmosphere has been faithfully preserved.

Over the course of a week, a rich variety of rituals and events unfold in succession, including the komakurabe (horse parade), a great lantern gathering, float processions, and competitive taiko drumming. The greatest highlight is the mikoshi procession on the night of May 5th, when eight great portable shrines are borne aloft—led by enormous drums—by some 2,000 bearers in a magnificent display of vigor. The thunderous roar of the great drums echoing through the shrine grounds, together with the bearers' rhythmic chanting, drives the festival to its climax.

During the festival period, roughly 700,000 worshippers and tourists visit, and the entire town of Fuchu is swept up in festive spirit. Combining the historical gravity of the principal shrine of ancient Musashi Province with the stirring power of its valiant mikoshi procession, the Kurayami Matsuri offers a rare opportunity to experience an authentic traditional festival in the outskirts of Tokyo.