Kawakami Matsuri 川上まつり
|
Title   • File Name • Date • Position |
|
Held annually on April 18 by Hioki 日置神社 and Tsuno Shrines in Imazu, Takashima, Shiga, this festival features a pair of very tall (18 meters), decorated bamboo poles called O-nobori carried little by little at a horse-riding course.
|
|
The Kawakami Matsuri is also called the Sanyare Matsuri. The festival starts with a Shinto ceremony at both Hioki and Tsuno Shrines. This is Tsuno Shrine.
|
|
Tsuno Shrine torii. 津野神社 MAP
|
|
At Tsuno Shrine, they had a pair of tall, decorated bamboo poles called O-nobori. 大幟
|
|
Tall bamboo poles called O-nobori at Tsuno Shrine for the Kawakami Matsuri in Imazu, Takashima. They are about 20 meters tall. 大幟
|
|
Base of the O-nobori poles.
|
|
Top of O-nobori poles. The red, white, and blue motif caught my American eye.
|
|
Tsuno Shrine also had a mikoshi portable shrine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
They took down the O-nobori.
|
|
The O-nobori is now horizontal, carried by the people in the procession.
|
|
The procession start to leave Tsuno Shrine.
|
|
The procession leaves Tsuno Shrine. At Hioki Shrine, they also held a Shinto ceremony and had a procession leaving the shrine.
|
|
The procession leaving Tsuno Shrine as they carry the O-nobori poles.
|
|
The procession headed for the Otabisho which is halfway between Tsuno Shrine and Hioki Shrine.
|
|
|
|
They proceed through rice paddies.
|
|
This is the Otabisho, called Hegasaki Banba which is a horse-running ground. 平ヶ崎馬場 MAP
|
|
The procession with the O-nobori reaches the Otabisho at around 1 pm.
|
|
They start to prop up the O-nobori at the Otabisho.
|
|
Standing up the O-nobori at the Otabisho during the Kawakami Matsuri in Imazu, Takashima.
|
|
|
|
Moving a car in the way of the procession.
|
|
The two O-nobori stand tall at the Otabisho which would be the main venue for the Kawakami Matsuri.
|
|
|
The children carried the smaller poles called ko-nobori.
|
|
|
The children played music.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The mikoshi procession also arrived at the Otabisho.
|
|
Prayers in front of the mikoshi.
|
|
|
They paraded the mikoshi around the Otabisho.
|
|
Three community groups participate in Kawakami Matsuri. They rotate every year for taking care of the O-nobori, mikoshi, and sanyare dance and music.
|
|
Then they had yabusame with horse runs down the Otabisho. No arrow shooting though.
|
|
|
|
|
Children doing the sanyare dance at the Kawakami Matsuri in Imazu, Takashima. サンヤレ踊り
|
|
|
|
|
|
Children doing sanyare dance at Kawakami Matsuri.
|
|
|
Then they slowly dragged the two O-nobori poles across the Otabisho.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
They finally brought the O-nobori all the way across the Otabisho.
|
|
Otabisho
|
|
|
More yabusame.
|
|
Mt. Ibuki across Lake Biwa as seen from the Otabisho.
|
|
|
|
