Tobata Gion Yamagasa festival
Encyclopedia
is a popular local Japanese festival
(matsuri) which takes place annually in Tobata, a ward
of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture
, Kyūshū
, Japan
. It is held for three days (Friday–Sunday) before and after the fourth Saturday of July. The festival is a national cultural asset of Japan, and is centred on the parading of the .
During the festival in the daytime, the eight official floats with twelve great flags hoisted on the four large ones are carried for a parade, followed by some small floats for children. But in the nighttime, the floats are completely transformed into pyramids of light—huge Lantern Yamakasa floats, their decorations with the flags removed. Each with twelve layers of 309 lanterns, 10 meters high, and 1.5 tons in weight, is shouldered by about 100 carriers.
To move the Yamagasa is an art which requires concerted lifting by all the carriers. To ensure that they do it successfully, they all shout "yoitosa, yoitosa" together in a rhythmic chant with drums and cymbals.
in Tobata Village of Chikuzen
prayed to Suga-taijin to disperse the plague, their prayers were answered and all of the villagers with plague were cured. At that time the villagers held the Yamakasa Festival as the celebration event of the answer to their prayers.
Recently the nighttime races against the clock round a set course have been abandoned. Also a Yamagasa festival for ladies has been started.
Japanese festivals
Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs....
(matsuri) which takes place annually in Tobata, a ward
Wards of Japan
A is a subdivision of one of the cities of Japan that is large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. Wards are used to subdivide each city designated by government ordinance...
of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
, Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is held for three days (Friday–Sunday) before and after the fourth Saturday of July. The festival is a national cultural asset of Japan, and is centred on the parading of the .
The Yamagasa
The Yamagasa (or Yamakasa) are very large floats, and are the focal point of the festival. There are four regions of Tobata which participate: Higashi, Nishi, Tenraiji and Nakabaru. Each region has a large Yamagasa for men and a small one for boys, making eight main floats in total.During the festival in the daytime, the eight official floats with twelve great flags hoisted on the four large ones are carried for a parade, followed by some small floats for children. But in the nighttime, the floats are completely transformed into pyramids of light—huge Lantern Yamakasa floats, their decorations with the flags removed. Each with twelve layers of 309 lanterns, 10 meters high, and 1.5 tons in weight, is shouldered by about 100 carriers.
To move the Yamagasa is an art which requires concerted lifting by all the carriers. To ensure that they do it successfully, they all shout "yoitosa, yoitosa" together in a rhythmic chant with drums and cymbals.
History
This festival has its origin in 1802, when people plagued by an epidemicEpidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
in Tobata Village of Chikuzen
Chikuzen
Chikuzen may refer to:*Chikuzen Province, an old province of Japan*Chikuzen, Fukuoka, a present town in Japan...
prayed to Suga-taijin to disperse the plague, their prayers were answered and all of the villagers with plague were cured. At that time the villagers held the Yamakasa Festival as the celebration event of the answer to their prayers.
Recently the nighttime races against the clock round a set course have been abandoned. Also a Yamagasa festival for ladies has been started.
External links
- Movie of Tobata Gion - taken by uploader
- Tobata Gion via the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...