Toyohama Chōsa Festival

The Toyohama Chōsa Festival is an autumn festival held every October in Toyohama, Kan'onji, Kagawa Prefecture. Known as a spirited celebration representative of western Kagawa, in which numerous magnificent and ornate drum-floats called "chōsa" parade, it conveys the splendor of the drum-float culture rooted along the Seto Inland Sea coast.

The stars of the festival are the "chōsa," adorned with lavish hanging curtains embroidered in gold and silver thread. Weighing around 2 tons, these drum-floats are hoisted by large numbers of bearers in matching happi coats to the rousing chant of "chōsa ja, chōsa ja." The greatest highlight is the "kakikurabe," in which several chōsa are lifted high aloft simultaneously to compete in strength. The sight of the ornate cushioned tops thrust high into the sky is magnificent, electrifying the crowd.

At the Toyohama Chōsa Festival, around 20 chōsa may gather together, a scale said to be among the largest in Shikoku. The sight of vividly colored drum-floats lined up in a row is overwhelming, and under the autumn sky of the Seto Inland Sea, the festival—uniting the beauty of the embroidered curtains with the strength of the bearers—symbolizes regional pride and communal solidarity. Held to give thanks in the harvest autumn, this festival is a long-awaited annual observance, the time of year when the people of Toyohama burn most fiercely.