Tenjin Matsuri Festival 天神祭
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Crowd at Osaka Tenmangu Shrine, the organizer of the Tenjin Festival and starting point of the festival's Land Procession called "Riku-togyo." 大阪天満宮One of Japan's Big Three Festivals (besides Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and Tokyo's Kanda Matsuri) is also Osaka's biggest summer festival held on July 24-25. These photos were taken on July 25, 2004. The festival has a procession starting from Tenmangu Shrine in the afternoon and a water procession on the river in the evening.
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Spectators wait near Tenmangu Shrine's torii for the Land Procession (Riku-togyo) to start at 4 pm on July 25, the festival's 2nd day. The shrine is near Minami-morimachi Station on the Tanimachi subway line. 陸渡御
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The Land Procession is one of the festival's two main events. It starts with a group of taiko drummers.
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Taiko drummers at the shrine's Otorii gate. 催太鼓
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Sarutahiko on horseback 猿田彦
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About 3,000 people are in the procession which follows a 4 km route from the shrine to a boat landing near Tenjin-bashi Bridge on the Okawa River. 陸渡御
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Danjiri float 地車
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Danjiri float 地車
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Shishimai lion dance
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Lion dance
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Hanagasa dancers 花傘
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花傘
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Hanagasa umbrella dancers 花傘
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Hanagasa umbrella dancers, Tenjin Matsuri, Osaka 花傘
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Chigo child
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牛曳童児
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Shrine priest
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御羽車
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Portable shrine 御羽車
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Mother and twins in yukata
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Portable shrine housing the spirit of Sugawara Michizane. This is the most important thing in the procession. 御鳳輦
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Crowd near Tenjin-bashi Bridge.
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By 6 pm, shrine parishioners started boarding boats near Tenjin-bashi Bridge, the starting point of the Boat Procession. These are supporter's boats.
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These boats will carry portable shrines.
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A large crane is used to carry the portable shrines onto the boats.
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Crowded walking path along Okawa River. Most people view the festival from the riverside.
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The Boat Procession started at 7 pm on Okawa River. These boats are called Dondoko. どんどこ船 大川 船渡御
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The Boat Procession (Funa-togyo) is the Tenjin Matsuri festival's main event.
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The boats are numerous. About 100 of them go up and down the river.
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Most of the boats carry parishioners who eat bento on the boats while sometimes looking at photographers shooting them from a bridge overhead.
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Okawa River 大川
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The boats are large barges.
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To ride these boats, you have to be a member of a shrine parish or supporting group.
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船渡御
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The fire, fueled by LP gas, is on a corporate-sponsored boat, used for illumination. 大篝
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Tugboats pull these huge barges.
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Ningyo-bune 人形船
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Boat corner
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船渡御
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船渡御
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The boat carrying the portable shrine housing the spirit of Sugawara Michizane. 御鳳輦奉安船
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This is the most important boat in the procession. It holds a ceremony called the Senjo-sai (船上祭) in the middle of the river to celebrate Sugawara Michizane's birthday. 御鳳輦奉安船
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玉御神輿奉安
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Portable shrine 船渡御 玉御神輿奉安
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Horrendous crowd gathers to watch the fireworks, the festival's climax. The festival ends at 10 pm when the procession returns to the shrine.
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