Owari Tsushima Autumn Festival

The Owari Tsushima Autumn Festival is a festival held every October in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture. Handed down in the town of Tsushima centered on Tsushima Shrine, it is beloved by local people as one of Tsushima's two great festivals, alongside the summer "Owari Tsushima Tennō Festival"—an autumn celebration.

The festival's greatest highlight is the magnificent and ornate floats (dashi) that parade from the various neighborhoods. Atop floats adorned with intricate carvings and gold leaf, "karakuri puppets" are dedicated, performing feats such as dancing and writing characters through string manipulation. The movements of the karakuri, produced by craftsmanship continued since the Edo period, are intricate and elegant, delighting onlookers. The sight of the floats processing through the town of Tsushima splendidly colors autumn in the castle town.

Tsushima has a history of flourishing from ancient times as the temple-gate town and port town of Tsushima Shrine, commanding deep reverence from warring-states warlords including Oda Nobunaga. The Owari Tsushima Autumn Festival is a festival nurtured against the backdrop of Tsushima's rich history and culture. Conveying to this day the uniquely Japanese mechanical culture of karakuri puppets, this festival is handed down together with regional pride as a traditional event representative of autumn in the Owari region.