Gion feasts around Tsukuba

A japanese version is also available.

Gion feasts are held around July in every Yasaka shrine in Japan. Yasaka shrines are shrines for Gozu-Ten-nou god, a guardian of Gion Shoja where Buddha founded Buddhism there. As Gozu-Ten-nou is believed to be an alias of Susano-o, a mythical trickstar of japanese Shintoism, shrines for Susano-o also have Gion feasts. Actualy, many shrines in southern Ibaraki prefecture have theire own feastivals called Gion in this season, whether they really relate to Gozu-Ten-nou or not.

We have many Yasaka shrines in southern part of Ibaraki. One reason is that Gozu-Ten-nou was once believed as a guardian from infectious desease. Adding to that, there was a custom to flow a symbol of the god away to a river when disasterous desease prevailed in a town. In such a case, the floating symbol would be found by another person, and it would be put to a sacred place, a new shrine. Thus we can now find sequences of Yasaka shrines along rivers. In some Gion festivals, there are ceremonies to carry portable shrines to rivers, lakes or sea shore, and in some case, to float the portable shrines on water to let the god see where he came from.

In many places in Japan, local Gion feasts are known as the most exciting feastival of those areas. We have many chances to see decorated floats, many portable shrines, and various exciting, and sometimes funny, ceremonies or customes. We can say every Gion feast has its uniq feasture we can enjoy to see. Generally there are two typical styles of festivals in the southern Ibaraki, festivals distributed around Ishioka city, and festivals around Sawara city of Chiba prefecture.

Gion feasts were originaly held in fifteenth of June in the lunar calendar. In theses days, festival dates are moved to fifteenth of July in the solar calendar, and also moved to weekend days around the end of July. The last dating is the most popular way in the sourthern part of Ibaraki. Roughly to say, we can find Gion somewhere in weekend after 10th of July.

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Grater Gion Feasts around Tsukuba

Gion of Tsuchiura city (the last friday to sunday in July)
All downtown blocks of Tsuchiura city (but Manabe area) and around (Kidamari, Takatsu, Nakamura and etc.) become festival fields in this period. Several decorated floats with traditional music/dance performance go around the downtown and the Tsuchiura station. Style of floats/dance/music are similar to the "Festival of Ishioka". In theses days, "Kirara matsuri" festival held on th next weekend becomes more popular and we can also see theses traditional perfoemances there.
Gion of Kakioka in Yasaka town (23rd to 24th in July)
In this festival, we can see the origin of traditional performances of the festival of Ishioka held in autumn. Adding to floats and lion dances, we can see uniq mechanical marionetts in this feast.
Gion of Makabe town (23rd to 26th in July)
In Gion feast of Gosho-Komagataki shrine in Makabe, we can see several floats with a background scenary of old Makabe downtown. Decoration style of floats are rather modern, but in the contrary style of management of this festival is well known as most traditional, or Edo era like fudalistic. reperetory of music is classified to Ishioka style.
Gion of Ryugasaki city (25th to 27th of July)
In the last day, around 16:00 to 17:00, Tsukumai, an famous acrobatic ceremony is performed. The ceremony is like a dance on a top end of a pole of 15 meters high!
Gion of Mitsukaido city (the last saturday to sunday (frequently changed by year))
It is known that we can see so many portable shrines in this Gion feast.
Gion of Ishige town (the last saturday to sunday of July)
The main portable shrine was once known as one of heavyest ones in Kanto area. Strange custom of this Gion feast is that when two portable shrines meet on a road, people stand them against each other, and decorate them with fire works. It's funny.
Summer festival of Iwai city (24th to 25th in July (auther's guess)
This festival is originaly Gion of Yasaka shrine of Iwai. On vehicle-free promenades, various events are performed.
Gion of Shimodate city (Thursday to Sunday where the last day is adjusted to the last Sunday of July)
The biggest portable shrine was once known as the heavyest one in Japan. The weight is 2.5 tons. at five o'clock am in 28th, the portable shrine is dipped into Gongyo-gawa river.
Gion of Toride city (1st to 3rd in August)
Gion of Moriya town (the last saturday to sunday of July)
Gion of Edosaki town (25th to 27th in July)
Several rather simple floats come up in this Gion. Music is classified into Sawara style. In the evening, the floats come together and people performs there skill of playing music.
Gion of Itako city (7th to 9th of August)
One of the biggest feasts of Sawara style. We see over ten decorated floats.

Gion Feasts with Special Ceremony/Performance

Garlic festival (7th of June in the luna calendar)
Yasaka shrine in Ichinoya in Tsukuba city is known as the first shrine founded for Gozu-Ten-nou in Ibaraki prefecture. The Gion feast is also taken as one of the earliest Gion feasts of the year in the prefecture. The famous event known as "Garlic festival," where garlics are sold as a charm of luck at many stands around the shrine, is a part of the Gion feast which starts from evening of 6th of June to 14th in the luna calendar.
"Fuji-kiri (wisteria cutting) Gion" (the 4th Saturday of July)
Fion feast of Yasaka shrine in Fukaya in Kasumigaura town. After the portable shrine going in and out the Kasumigaura lake, the Fuji-kiri is performed. Waved wisterias on the way of the portable shrine are cut away with a spear.
Hyottoko dance of Nishi-narui (last Saturday to Sunday of July (the date may be obsolete))
Gion feast of Yasaka shrine in Nishi-narui in Kasumigaura town. Localy uniq Hyottoko dance is performed in evening. Kasa-mando (big sparkler) and floats are also demonstrated.
Awa-awa Gion of Takehara (26th to 27th of Jule)
Gion feast of Takehara shrine in Minori town. "Awa-awa" is voice when carriers of the portable shrine shout when they go into a river. The event can be seen in the first evening.
Katano Haika-bayashi (the third Saturday to Sunday of July)
"Katano Haika-bayashi" is regionaly unique variation of traditional Hayashi music and dance for insipring the god. It is performed at Gion feast of Yasaka shrine in Katano in Yasato town. Katano Haika-bayashi is one of Hayashi musics in Yasato area which influenced on Ishioka style Hayashi variations.
[Sound data is available]
Gion feast of Futto (22nd to 23rd of July)
Gion feast of Suka shrine in Futto in sakuragawa village. The portable shrine is carried to the shore of Kasumigaura lake in the first evening.
Sashima bayashi (21st to 22nd of July)
Sashima bayashi is a regionaly unique variation of Edo style hayashi music, performed at Gion feast of Yasaka shrine in Oigo in Sashima town. They have over ten repertoires in Sashima bayashi.

Regionaly known Gions

Gion in Hojo, Tsukuba city (later Saturday to Sunday of july)
5-6 music floats are seen.[Sound]
Gion in Yoshinuma, Tsukuba (later Saturday to Sunday of july (author's guess))
Parade of portable shrines with music and exciting song like calling.[Sound]
Gion in Kamigo, Tsukuba city (26th and 27th of july (can suffer changing))
Waving of portable shrines in a parade. Water is splashed over them.
Gion in Imagashima, Tsukuba city (28th to 29th of July (author's guess))
People from out of Tsukuba city also join into the players of Hayashi, and portable shrine carrying.
Oda, Tsukuba city (3rd Saturday of July)
Exciting Shishi (lion dog) dance is performed. Mikoshi (portable shrine) parade with Hayashi music.
Gion in Takasaki, Kukizaki town (Saturday to Sunday nearest to 25th July)
Anniversary feast of Suijin-gu shrine in Tsuchiura city (last Saturday to Sunday of July)
Water is splashed over the carried portable shrine.
"Take-kiri (bamboo cutting) Gion" (Saturday to Sunday after 11th of July)
Gion feast of Soga shrine in Kashiwazaki in Kasumigaura town (formerly "Dejima vil."). This Gion was once known for its "Take-kiri" bamboo cutting (with Katana) ceremony.
Gion in Obata, Yasato town (15th of July)
Gion in Tamiya, Niihari town (last Sunday of July (uncertain to the author))
Sometimes introduced as a chance to enjoy listening to Tamiya bayashi, a regional variation of Hayashi music.
Gion festivals in Akeno town (third Saturday-Sunday of July and etc.)
Several Gion feasts are held on the same day in Akeno town. Floats are seen.

Quite regional Gions in Tsukuba

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Two styles of Gion Feasts in Southern Ibaraki

Roughly speking, we can classify theses Gion feasts in two groups, "Ishioka style" and "Sawara style". We can see the difference mainly in structure of floats and style of performing dance and music. In "Ishioka style," Dance is performed on floats, with masks of "Hyottoko (man)", "Okame (woman)", "Kitsune (fox)". Lion dance is also performed. Music repertory is strongly influenced by old Sato-kagura (regional music for gods) and structure of music pieces are rather complex including ad-libs. The feast of Ishioka (is not Gion feast) is the typical case, and such style distributes geographicaly to north of Tsuchiura city. In the contrary, in "Sawara style," All people pulling floats join in dancing. Many music pieces are from traditional popular music pieces and easy to sing. In many cases they have tens of pieces and many of them are localy uniq. The Feast of Sawara held twice in a year is famous.

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A.Takahashi, takahashi@tradevents.org