Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

The festival also incorporates a spiritual and religious aspect, which is embodied in the danjiri itself, whose elmwood structure takes the shape of an ornately carved Shinto shrine. The carvings also employ the izumibori style, which has been passed down by local miyadaiku, the shrine-and-temple-building carpentry specialists who are said to have been involved in the construction of the famously elaborate and ornate Nikko Toshogu Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture.

During the festival, the streets are lined with food stalls selling Osaka specialities like takoyaki (fried octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (cabbage pancake), as well as festival classics like grilled squid and yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers). Beer and sake (Japanese rice wine) are also readily available, and the locals like to indulge on festival days.

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Gods Riding Their Danjiri

Each of the thirty-four local neighbourhoods has their own guild, which is responsible for their danjiri, as well as its performance during the popular event. The contest is energetic and high-spirited, with each team vying for glory. It is not an exaggeration to say that the reputation of their neighbourhood is at stake – as are much grander concerns: it is believed that spirits or gods reside in the danjiri.

As the festival approaches, the danjiri is kept taken out of storage: once it’s repaired and prepared, it is then decorated with elaborate flower arrangements, ornaments, prayer cards, and other forms of religious consecration. A special song is also composed every year and the musicians who ride the danjiri practice for months in advance.

Though women are permitted to take part by running ahead of the danjiri – and women play an important role in the organisation and preparation for the event – participation in the notoriously perilous aspects of the festival is reserved for the men of Kishiwada. The dangers faced by the men who ride the danjiri might be compared to those faced by bull riders: he must possess a special set of skills, as well as courage and character. And, like a bull rider, the first rule of riding a danjiri is to stay alive.

“the first rule of riding a danjiri is to stay alive.”

The event is, in short, an extremely dangerous demonstration of bravery, bravado and machismo. In unusual and perhaps unexpected contrast, it also showcases the artistic skill and creative prowess of each district’s most talented carpenters, as elaborate hand-carved details cover each of the gorgeous and lavishly ornate wooden constructions, depicting historic battles scenes, local folklore, sacred animals and other complex designs.

On the day of the event, all thirty-four carts emerge onto the streets surrounding Kishiwada Castle. One after another, the teams parade their massive danjiri through the town. The parade is slow at first but quickly speeds up as the teams ramp up their pace to running speed, at which point the parade becomes a full-on demonstration of skill and bravery.

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Peril at Every Turn

The highlight of this potentially deadly show are the yarimawashi, corner turns where the men attempt to manoeuvre the danjiri around ninety-degree corners at full speed. This is the moment the hundreds of people pulling and directing the danjiri via ropes must act in painstaking unity – no easy feat considering the sheer size and unwieldiness of the danjiri, which typically weigh around five tonnes and has just rudimentary steering capacity. Because a mix of acceleration and technical control is required to coerce the enormous wooden carts into changing direction at these narrow intersections, scores of men are recruited to pull the heavy ropes that stretch out for many meters in front of the carts. Slowing and skidding is controlled through levers that brake the danjiri, which is especially challenging at the narrow intersections along the route.

Meanwhile, the performers riding on the carts must carry on with the show, facing down the immense danger of each corner with blank-faced, stoic calmness – when dancing on the roof of a danjiri, there is no time for fear or emotion. Indeed, to ride the danjiri is a great honour and privilege and is reserved for the musicians and carpenters. The most prestige goes to the person riding on the roof, traditionally bestowed upon an honorary carpenter whose skills at fan dancing and sense of balance, as he hops from one end of the danjiri to the other, is put to the test through the yarimawashi.

“when dancing on the roof of a danjiri, there is no time for fear or emotion.”

Known as the daikugata, this honorary carpenter is the star of the show and is also responsible for determining the trajectory of the danjiri along the course, while the other riders can be heard screaming instructions to one another. Each daikugata employs his own style of fan dance, but the most famous version is known as hikokinori or “aeroplane dance”.

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The Thrill and the Danger

The very real possibility that something may go wrong is part of the appeal and seduction of the festival. Not infrequently a danjiri may overturn, run into a building or stall, or collide with a utility pole. Unless someone dies or is seriously hurt, however, the show is expected to go on. Sadly, deaths do occur. Danjiri also frequently strike and damage buildings. The likelihood of accidents has even prompted the creation of danjiri matsuri insurance for businesses concerned with damage to their property. 

In the evening, the daytime frenzy makes way to a quieter, more subdued event called yakan-eiko (“night parade”). Pulled slowly along the streets of Kishiwada by children and adults alike, the danjiri carts are illuminated with hundreds of paper lanterns. While for most of the day a palpable tension lingers in the air, once the daytime festivities are over, an enormous sense of relief sweeps over the town, aided in part by celebratory drinks. The men enjoy beer, sake and shochu together, reunite with their relieved family and loved-ones and talk about the day’s events and high drama.

Though the festival might seem unnecessarily dangerous to non-natives, the lasting impression of the Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri is the sense of communal synergy as the town literally pulls the past into the present. Unsurprisingly, the energy emanated by Kishiwada’s participants and performers fascinates and attracts as many as 500,000 visitors from all over to witness one of the most harrowing, spectacular and unusual festivals in Japan.

To view other photo-essays from the “Matsuri” photography project, click here.

All images copyright © Thaddeus Pope. All rights reserved.