Image search results - "hikiyama" - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Image search results - "hikiyama"

Minakuchi Jinja Shrine, which holds the annual Minakuchi Hikiyama Matsuri on April 19-20, is decorated for the festival. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/yZ2c6hMoGQJ2

Minakuchi Shrine is dedicated to a god named Ominakuchi-sukune-no-Mikoto, the founder of Minakuchi.

A mikoshi stands by to be carried during the festival.

Food and game stalls crowd an adjacent area.

Minakuchi Hikiyama Matsuri poster

On April 19, ornate floats called hikiyama are taken out of their storehouses and prepared for the festival.

Readying the paper lanterns to be decorated on the float for the festival eve later in the evening on April 19.

The hikiyama storehouses line the main streets of Minakuchi. There are 16 hikiyama floats. However, only 6 or 7 of them are paraded on the streets during the festival.

Each of the hikiyama floats are named after their respective neighborhoods.

The hikiyama floats are about 5 to 6 meters high and 3 to 4 meters wide.

Hikiyama floats started to appear at Minakuchi Hikiyama Matsuri in 1735. Initially, there were nine floats. This number increased to as many as 30 hikiyama floats.

Minakuchi's hikiyama have four wheels and two levels. The wooden construction is complex and the carvings are exquisite.

Unlike the floats used in Kyoto's famous Gion Matsuri, Minakuchi's hikiyama floats are not disassembled. They are stored in their constructed state. Koka, Shiga.

By late afternoon on April 19, the festival eve, one hikiyama float arrived at Minakuchi Shrine. This is the Oike-machi hikiyama.

During the festival eve, only one float was displayed at the shrine, while the other floats were open to display in their storehouses.

Oike-machi hikiyama float at Minakuchi Shrine during the Minakuchi Matsuri Yomiya (festival eve). 大池町

Minakuchi Hikiyama Matsuri festival eve at Minakuchi Shrine on April 19.

Minakuchi Hikiyama Festival is famous for Minakuchi-bayashi festival music with flutes, taiko drums, and bells. During the festival eve, they play the music in front of their floats in the storehouse. This is Komeya-machi. 米屋町

Food stalls during the festival eve.

During the morning of April 20 for the Reitaisai (例大祭) part of the festival, several hikiyama floats proceed to Minakuchi Shrine. This is the Gofuku-machi hikiyama. 呉服町

Making a turn. This is Higashi-machi hikiyama. 東町

The Higashi-machi hikiyama is pulled toward the shrine amid a yae-zakura tree.

Near the shrine, the floats stop here to setup the rooftop decorations.

Each float has a different humanoid decoration called "dashi" (ダシ) on the roof.

Putting up the rear tapestry.

A Sugawara Michizane doll waiting to be lifted up on the Tenjin-machi hikiyama float.

Poor guy waiting...

There he goes, up.

Tenjin-machi hikiyama float coming through.

Sugawara Michizane doll on the Tenjin-machi hikiyama float.

Tenjin-machi hikiyama float entering Minakuchi Shrine.

Prayer in front of the shrine by Tenjin-machi hikiyama float

Tenjin-machi hikiyama float

After the prayer, they pull the float to its place within the shrine.

The floats arrive one after another. This is the Tenno-cho hikiyama. 天王町

Tenno-cho hikiyama. 天王町

Momotaro decoration on the Tenno-cho hikiyama. 天王町

Here comes Higashi-machi hikiyama making a wide and grand entrance to the shrine.

They ran at full speed while pulling the float.

Here they come running.

Higashi-machi float's decoration was a model of Okayama Castle in Minakuchi.

The Tamachi-Katamachi float entering Minakuchi Shrine.

The Tamachi-Katamachi float in Minakuchi Shrine. 田町・片町

Dragon crawling on top of the Tamachi-Katamachi float.

Tamachi-Katamachi float's flute players. Each float's musicians practice playing the Minakuchi-bayashi festival music every night from late March.

Group photo of Tamachi-Katamachi float.

Gofuku-machi hikiyama 呉服町

Decoration on Gofuku-machi hikiyama 呉服町

Festival scene at Minakuchi Shrine

Yuya-machi hikiyama 湯屋町

Praying in front of MInakuchi Shrine.

Yuya-machi float has a Little Grebe duck decoration. Little Grebe is Shiga's official bird.

Little Grebe, Shiga's official bird.

Group photo in front of Yuya-machi hikiyama.

Five hikiyama are parked in the shrine.

Gofuku-machi

Tamachi-Katamachi

Tamachi-Katamachi float

Higashi-machi

Kids gathered to caryy their mikoshi portable shrine.

Getting ready for the procession from Minakuchi Shrine to the Otabisho.

Shrine priests give prayers before the procession starts.

Chigo children

The procession to the Otabisho leaves Minakuchi Shrine.

Comprehensive video of Maihara Hikiyama Matsuri filmed in 2023. Also see blog post: https://shiga-ken.com/blog/2024/09/maihara-hikiyama-matsuri/

Arriving at the Otabisho.

Prayers at the Otabisho.

To see the Maihara Hikiyama Matsuri, get out the east side of JR Maibara Station. Yutani Shrine and the hikiyama floats will be near the foot of the hill straight ahead.

Maihara Hikiyama Matsuri is held annually on the three-day holiday weekend in Oct. when the second Monday in Oct. is a national holiday for Sports Day. Sunday is the main day. Poster for the Maihara Hikiyama Matsuri held on Oct. 9-11, 2010.

Maibara Hikiyama Matsuri has three ornate floats, but usually only two of them appear in the festival. Both floats feature boys performing kabuki at few locations in the Maibara neighborhood shown here.

Started in the 18th century, the Maibara Hikiyama Matsuri was inspired by the Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri which is a larger festival with boys performing kabuki on ornate floats. Path to Yutani Shrine.

Back at Minakuchi Shrine, the festival continues with Minakuchi-bayashi music performed by Tenjin-machi.

Entrance to Yutani Shrine, the first location where the two floats perform kabuki on the festival's second and main day. MAP

Tenjin-machi

Near Yutani Shrine is a storehouse for the third hikiyama float (Shoouzan 松翁山). Every year, two of the three floats take turns to appear in the festival. Each float represents a neighborhood in Maihara.

Small taiko player, Tenjin-machi

It rained on this day on Oct. 10, 2010, so the floats were covered and the kabuki performance was delayed.

Bell player

Fortunately, the rain stopped and they took of the vinyl sheet and started the kabuki performance at Yutani Shrine.

Yuya-machi

The float is about 5.6 meters high. Maibara Hikiyama Matsuri, Shiga. 壽山

Wiping off the water on the roof of the hikiyama float.

Yutani Shrine is a short walk from the east exit of JR Maibara Station. Its history spans many centuries. It once was the guardian shrine for the Kyogoku castle lord living on the hill above it. 湯谷神社

Yutani Shrine in Maibara, Shiga Prefecture. During the Edo Period, it received a number of gifts from the Ii clan in Hikone. 湯谷神社

This spectator area was set up, but the rain made it almost useless.

Finally, the kabuki performance started. Show time was 12:15 pm here at Yutani Shrine, but it was delayed by over an hour due to rain. This is the Juzan float from Minamimachi. 壽山

The kabuki is performed by boys from the 1st grade to 6th grade. The play is about an hour long. They perform 3 times on the first day and 4 times on the second and third days of the festival.

Sanbaso dancer performs first.

The kabuki plays are scheduled so that you can see kabuki on both floats consecutively at the same location. They are not performed at the same time.

Also see my video at YouTube.

Maibara Hikiyama Matsuri, Shiga.

Even if you don't understand what they're saying or the story, there's enough eye candy and theatrics to make it interesting to anyone.

Six boys perform in this play.

A pair of foxes.

The first kabuki ended, and now they are moving out the first hikiyama float. The float behind it will be put in position for the next kabuki performance at Yutani Shrine in Maibara.

The Juzan hikiyama float is hauled toward the shrine exit.

The kabuki actors ride the float.

At the shrine exit, the float stops to unload the kabuki actors.

Unloading the kabuki actors from the hikiyama.

They are carried on the shoulders of a man to a waiting car.

The hikiyama float is then pulled along the narrow road heading for the next location where it will perform again.

The second hikiyama is pulled into position at Yutani Shrine.

Flute players

One of the boy kabuki actors is carried from a car to the hikiyama.

Another kabuki actor (without his wig) is carried.

The second hikiyama called Asahiyama 旭山, starts its kabuki play.

This play is performed by 5 boys.

Maibara Hikiyama Matsuri in Oct.

A bow at the end of the play.

Turning the wheels using wedged sticks.

It was quite a bit of work to turn this float.

Heading for the shrine entrance.

They stop to offload the boys.

Two men on the hikiyama float's roof make sure overhead wires and cables are lifted out of the way.

After Yutani Shrine, this hikiyama performs at a small neighborhood for its second performance of the day.

They perform the same play.

Rear view of hikiyama. The actors await their cue to appear.

Tapestry on rear of hikiyama.

Front wheel for steering.

My video of Maibara Hikiyama Festival 2010Maihara Hikiyama Matsuri is held annually on the three-day weekend in Oct. around the 10th (Sports Day, a national holiday). Sunday is the main day.