Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

September 14, 2014 - Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

This weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying a three day weekend. Monday would be "Aged People's Day" which meant Sunday was practically another Saturday! So it worked out great that I had plans for Sunday at the Danjiri Festival in Kishiwada.

The danjiri festival in Kishiwada is the most famous danjiri festival. A danjiri is a portable shrine and at this festival, different guilds from the town get together to pull the large danjiri through the streets. Originally starting in 1703, this event was done to pray for an abundant harvest for the upcoming season. Now the festival is still held more so for keeping up tradition then hoping for a full harvest. I had only heard about danjiri festivals as they happen in many towns around Japan. The things that people would tell me about these festivals was that they were exciting but also sometimes dangerous. I was told that there usually is always one or two deaths! I thought that was crazy that something like that would happen but yet the festival would still continue but I guess tradition is tradition.

The matsuri (festival) in Kishiwada is held on the Saturday and Sunday before Aged People's Day. I was invited by some friends to join on Sunday's festivities. So Sunday afternoon I hoped on a train and in a little over an hour I was in Kishiwada. Kishiwada is closer to the airport and closer to the water's edge. As I got to the station, I met up my friend Ash and then headed to the festival grounds.

You can start to feel the season change here and it's been really great because the sun is shining but the air is cool, for the morning and evening anyways. The day time still could get pretty hot. As we were closer approaching the festival grounds, you could see the abundance of people, food stalls, trash, and sounds of yelling and drums. I wasn't too sure what to expect from this matsuri but from first getting there it seems simple enough; you wait along the road side till a guild with their danjiri ran by, and crossed your fingers that they would make the turns (the trickiest parts). I'm not sure how many danjiri Kishiwada has but it seemed like one was going by every five minutes! In front of the danjiri there were many people, age seems to be like children to early twenties, all in the same uniform with headbands and hair done, chanting and pulling the danjiri from the front. While in the back, it seemed to be all men in an older age group, helping to control the danjiri from behind.

After a few minutes of being there, we met up with Ash's friends who had already been at the matsuri for a while. There were two other women and another man who were very welcoming and friendly. Two out of three of them even gave me hugs right off the bat! I'm pretty sure the man did it to be funny but it was still nice and unusual for Japanese people to hug period when first meeting someone. So after getting together with the group, I was handed an afternoon beer and we set off around the town to find the best spots to see the danjiris pass.

The whole afternoon was spent literally walking around, chasing these danjiris as they passed. There were people everywhere along the streets, in the neighborhoods, resting in the shade, even taking naps on the ground! The danjiris were definitely a sight to see though. It was incredible this event of community and pride. All of the participants are volunteers and the training, planning and praying they do for this event is pretty awesome.

The danjiri itself is very intricate. It is all hand carved and weighs about 4-4.5 tons!!  Along with the danjiri, there are also men who stand, play instruments and dance on top of the danjiri! The danjiri is also completely man powered and costs about the equivalent of $1,000,000 USD!!! That's crazy! The money is actually donated by the families of the communities. The sense of pride is in the ability to pull/push the danjiri fast around corners safely and without stopping. Usually around these specific corners is where the danger is. In the past, there has been accidents involving collisions into houses or building or even death because of a danjiri toppling over, etc.

It was really cool to see the communities dressed up and so full of energy and pride for their danjiri. The sense of deep tradition, something I lack being an American, was really awesome to witness and almost feel apart of. I can see why this festival is so popular.

Another added tidbit that I really liked seeing was the style of hair the girls would have. It was all in braids! Like the corn row type braids! I asked where they get it done and I was told that they have to make hair appointments very early on to get it done in time for the matsuri. Also that when their hair is braided they keep it in for three days with out washing it.

All afternoon till about 6 pm, the danjiris are pulled through the town's streets. Afterwards, they have a break in celebration and prepare the danjiris for the night time festivities. Then, they attach lanterns onto the danjiri and it becomes more of an event for children. There are then children who sit in the danjiri and play instruments. And children, with the help of adults, who slowly pull the danjiri through the streets (no corner runs). So as 6 pm approached, we had a good spot to rest and got to witness one danjiri's community celebrating as a success to a festival day come to a close. I saw many men crying as they lifted up their friends in celebration. I asked my friends why they were crying, and they explained to me that it was an overwhelming feeling of pride and joy that they trained hard and had a successful run. Definitely an emotional moment for many.

After leaving the festival grounds, we all went to a near by restaurant for dinner. Even though many of Ash's friends didn't speak English, there was still much conversation and listening from their part and mine. Dinner was filled with grilled seafood, beer, and friendly chats. Later in the evening, Ash's friend, Taka whom I met before, also joined the group. Taka speaks a good amount of English so communicating with him was very easy. Near the end of dinner, I had left with Taka and Nori to meet up Nori's daughter who was at the festival as well. Walking around the festival grounds at night was a bit different. First the sun was blazing down your back, but there was also a more loose feeling about the festival. It was probably now all the men who were working hard during the day, were drinking and relaxing around the street at night. When we met up with Nori's daughter, the four of us walked around the matsuri, taking a few photos and checking out the sights.

The day was long but also alot of fun. I am thankful for the opportunity to be invited to such an event and for all the kind people I met that day.  Kishiwada's Danjiri Matsuri is definitely something to see. With the outfits, chanting, pride, decorative danjiris, and the overwhelming sense of community, this matsuri definitely goes on my list of most memorable and exciting!


xx
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