Gion feast of Tsuchiura

We can see and hear several floats, "dashi," and traditional music "Ohayashi" played on it in Tsuchiura gion feasts (Tsuchiura city, Ibaraki pref. Japan). In Tsuchiura we can also enjoy more traditional demonstrations in "Kirara Matsuri" feast.

In japanese traditional feasts of shrines, "mikoshi," sacred palanquins are more popular than "dashi", and we can see them anywhere in season of feasts. It's a pity I couldn't taken photos at the Tsuchiura Gion feast.

The data, especialy sound data, are big. Each image data is about 30 kbytes and sound data over 160 kbytes which contains 20 seconds u-law sound. All photos and sounds but the title photo are taken on July, 28 in 1996.

You can also find a detailed guidance to enjoy Gion feast of Tsuchiura at "FLOATS OF TSUCHIURA AND ISHIOKA. It's excellent.

A pole for indicating boundary (Photo)

The right thin bamboo pole indicates the boundary of the savred area of the feast. We can see many such bamboo poles around the center area of the city. For important area (such as shrine itself), tall flags are also used (the photo is taken at anohter feast).

"O-karidono", a temporal house for the god "Gozu ten-nou" (Photo)

The symbol of the god is temporarily moved to here in the center area of Tsuchiura city from Yasaka shrine with "mikoshi".

Demonstrations of floats and traditional "O-hayashi" musics come from several areas in Tsuchiura city.

Ohte-machi: Photo
Ohmachi: Photo, Sound (Ohayashi music "Nimba")
Ikuta-machi (the float was borrowed from Johoku-machi): Photo, Sound (Ohayashi music)
Tanaka-1chome: Photo, a head of a religional lion of happyness, "Shishi" is seen.
Tanaka-2chome: Photo, Sound (female vocal), Sound (male vocal)
Bunkyo-cho:Photo

Many Gion feasts are held on the same days around Tsuchiura city.

Gion feast in Fujisaki-cho: Photo, Sound (Ohayashi music "Nimba")

Gion feast in Shimo-Takatsu: Photo, Sound (Ohayashi music "Shishi-mai"), a "Shishi" is coming out and dancing in front of the feast.

Gion feast is a feast of Yasaka shrines. Yasaka shrines are a shrines for a god "Gozu-ten'nou" and the most famous one (or the root of others) is in Kyoto. Similar to other prefectures, in Ibaraki Gozu-ten'nou was taken as the god for curing an epidemic disease, and when the disease couldn't be cured, the symbol in the shrine was flowed away. If the symbol was found by people living on the lower of the stream, they would build a new shrine for the symbol. This is said to be one reason why we have so many Yasaka shrines in southern Ibaraki area.

Formerly Gion feasts are held on 15th of June of the luna calendar, and in these days almost all feasts (in many case, even feasts other than Gion feasts) are held from the last Friday of July to the Sunday. On the first day a symbol (I don't know actualy what it is) of the god is put on "mikoshi," a sacred palanquins and carryed in parade from the shrine to a temporal place for the feast. the mikoshi is carried back to the shrine on the last day. In many cases the schedule is shortened to two or one days.

It is said that such temporal movement of a symbol is origined from a memory of the coming of the symbol. We have several Gion feasts in southern Ibaraki pref. which has ceremonies to put the palanquins into rivers, that suggest that the symbols come floating in the rivers a long time ago. Gion feast in Shimodate ( in which a palanquins of 2 tons is put into Gongyo-gawa river with a crane!) and a feast in Futto are the examples.

Floats are called "Dashi" or "Yamaboko" in japanese. In many Gion feasts such floats are seen. As to Tsuchiura, size of floats are middle, but the owners are really proud of them. Floats come from neighboring towns around the area of the feast and dances of gods of happiness and "Ohayashi" musics are played on them. "Ohayashi" is traditionaly original for each town and we can enjoy the differences. In Tsuchiura, the floats stop at each house on roads and cerebrate the family of the house with the dance and the music.

Added Ohayashi music collections of 1997

Nimba (u-law,170K; MIDI,22K)

Music for "Hyottoko-odori," humourous dance of farmers. This piece is a variation of Hyottoko in Kimijima (Ami town), while Nimba of Ohmachi is the same as Ishioka's one.

Shishimai (u-law,240K)

Music for "Shishi-mai," dance of a lion. This piece seems to be a unique variation of Shishimai in Ishioka.

Shichohme (u-law,170K)

Music for "Okame-odori," humourous dance of a lady. The same piece of Shichome in Ishioka.

Sangiri (u-law,170K)

A ceremonial music for the ending (and starting, I guess) of the festival. We have rare chance to listen to it because it is performed only when all events including cleaning etc. are done.

Event schedule of Gion in 1998

23rd (Thu)

Preparatory parade of floats from 14:00.

24th (Fri)

Mikoshi portable shrine parade comes up to downtown of Tsuchiura and stops at O-karidono at 13:00.
Floats parade starts at 13:00 from Urara-Hiroba square and reach near Koamiya store at 20:30.
Old dance is dedicated for the god in evening at O-karidono.

25th (Sat)

Floats parade starts at 13:00 from Urara-Hiroba square and reach Koamiya store.
Another Mikoshi starts at 12:50 from Washinomiya shrine in Tozaki-cho and also get to Koamiya.
Party for the Floats and Mikoshi is held from 20:00 to 21:20. Old dance is also dedicated.

26th (Sun)

Floats starts at 13:30 from Nomura-Shoken build. They gather up to Urara-Hiroba square and from 20:00 to 21:00 they show their best of Ohayashi music and dance.

Back to "Traditional Events around Tsukuba"