Hakata Gion Yamagasa
Hakata Gion Float Race Festival
(Fukuoka, Fukuoka city, Hakata-ku, Kushida shrine)

July 1-15

The "Hakata Gion Yamagasa" festival is a high-speed float race held by the men of Hakata who are renowned for their high-spiritedness. This festival dates back to the year 1241 A.D. when a severe epidemic scourged this area and a high ranking monk of the Shoten-ji temple dedicated memorial services to the souls of the dead. The floats called "yamagasa" are of two kinds. The one ton "kaki-yama" which is carried by men wearing tight loincloths and the 15 m high "kazari-yama" which is decorated with gorgeous dolls. Highly skilled Hakata craftsmen using elaborate techniques make the dolls. The "kazari-yama" float is for display only and is not carried. The festival climax takes place on the last day when the "oiyama" float races are held. At 4:59 in the morning, seven "kaki-yama" floats start from the Kushida shrine at five minute intervals. The 28 men who alternately carry the floats represent the traditional organizations of the townspeople. They compete in a race over a 5 km course with shouts of "Osshoi, Osshoi". This is one of the boldest and most stirring festivals of Japan.

Karatsu Kunchi
Karatsu Giant Float Festival (Saga, Karatsu city, central district)

November 2-4

September 9th by the lunar calendar is the seasonal festival day in the Chinese tradition. The 9th day is pronounced in the Japanese language as "ku-nichi" and this festival which is known as "kunchi" is held in various areas of north Kyushu. Nowadays the "Karatsu Kunchi", the float festival of the Karatsu shrine is held on November 2-4. The "kunchi" floats which are 6 m high are shaped like lucky emblems such as a red lion, a blue lion, a sea bream, a "samurai" helmet, a killer whale and a historical fishermen's hero "Urashima Taro" who rides on a turtle. On the day of the festival 14 floats made of lacquered paper called "ikkan- bari" are hauled through the town of Karatsu accompanied by lively shouting and music. The festival originated in the year of 1819 when a citizen of Karatsu visited Kyoto and saw the floats of the "Gion Matsuri" festival. When he came back to his hometown he modeled the floats of Kyoto and introduced them in the "Karatsu Kunchi" festival.

Itoman Harrey
Dragon Boat Race (Okinawa, Itoman city)

The day corresponding to May 4th by the lunar calendar

The people of Itoman hold the "Dragon Boat Race" to express their gratitude for the blessings of the sea and to pray to the sea gods for the safety of their ships. The boats used for the race are traditional Okinawan fishing boats that were developed from the dugout canoe. These 7 m long boats called "sabani" are specially decorated for the race. A dragon's head adorns the bow and a dragon's tail is installed at the stern. A member of a family that has performed this role since the 14th century waves a flag to signal the start of the race. Three boats representing three villages then start to race. There are three main races and each boat is manned by a crew of twelve or thirteen. One of the members of the crew beats a gong, one steers and the others row the boat. In order to influence the race results, the people can visit the temple to pray for safe navigation and good fishing for the coming year. In the old days, to be promoted from a fishing boat crew to a racing boat was a great honor and the ship owners donated large sums of money to encourage the oarsmen and their supporters. The origin of this festival is said to have been when a king of the Nanzan dynasty visited China and there witnessed the dragon boat race.