Take a close look at the 14 Kazariyama floats handcrafted by Hakata puppet craftsmen at the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival.Each one is more than 10 meters (32 ft) long.Check the detailed work and expressions of the puppets and figure out the story they're trying to tell.
View on FacebookIntroducing: Hakata, Fukuoka
Hakata is a ward in Fukuoka city, the capital of Fukuoka prefecture. The prefecture is located on the northern-shore of Kyushu, the southern-most of Japan’s four main islands. Fukuoka city is Japan’s 6th largest city.
What attracts many tourists to Fukuoka is their delicious Hakata ramen-- a local dish made of thin noodles, thick tonkotsu (pork bone broth) soup and chashu (roasted pork fillet). Two of Japan’s famous ramen chains, Ichiran and Ippudo started in Fukuoka.
Open the curtains of a yatai (mobile food stall) to have your bowl of Hakata ramen on the U-shaped counter. There are lots of yatai clustered along main roads and parks. You just squeeze yourself into one of the seats, slurp on ramen, and have friendly conversations with the people around you. You can’t really say you’ve been to Hakata without experiencing this. So make sure it’s on your to do list if you decide to see the Hakata Gion Yamakasa in Hakata, Fukuoka.
Kazariyama floats at the Hakata Gion Yamakasa
Hakata Gion Yamakasa is an exciting festival held from July 1st to July 15th every year -- right before the hot, humid Japanese summer begins. The highlight of the festival takes place from 4:59AM on July 15th, with local men carrying (and running with) tall floats around the city.
Various theories on how the festival began exist, but the following is the most popular. In the year 1241, when there was a plague in Hakata that was suffering many, a monk named Shouichi Kokushi came to the area and sprinkled holy water on the people to heal them. Thus this festival started to take place every year to give thanks to the gods. The festival kicks off with the display of 14 high and intricate kazariyama floats. Kazariyama, literally translated as “decorative mountains”, are large floats that are usually more than 10 meters (32 ft) long. Local Hakata’s puppet craftsmen build the floats using paper, bamboo and cloth. They are placed in different areas of Hakata such as shopping streets. All of them face the Kushida Shrine.
The front side of the kazariyama floats usually displays samurai puppets and historical or mythical events, while the backside is full with puppets of Japanese anime and cartoons. Next to the kazariyama floats, there is a board explaining the meaning of the puppets.
All 14 kazariyama floats have different themes. For example, the one placed in the Fukuoka Dome baseball stadium includes famous home team baseball players. In 2017, the one placed in Canal City, a shopping mall, had a float that was over 12m (39 ft) high with the theme of “Sukeroku Yuen no Edo Sakura” a famous Kabuki play. The float showed different aspects of the story, with Sukeroku, the handsome main character in the middle. All the kazariyama floats are dedicated to the Kushida shrine, a local shrine that is said to have been first built in 757. Located in the center of Fukuoka city, locals call the shrine “okushisan” with respect, and many go there to pray for business prosperity. New kazariyama replace the previous year’s kazariyama after the festival. They are available on display for anyone to see at the shrine for the entire year so even if you miss the festival, you can still check out the floats at Kushida shrine.
Another type of float called the kakiyama floats play a vital role in the main event of the festival. This type is smaller in size (5 m or 16 ft) and built to carry around the streets. There are no wheels to the float. It is made so that men can push and carry it along a five-kilometer (about 3 miles) course.
On the last day of the festival, the seven kakiyama floats are first carried over to Kushida shrine. Then a time trial race called the oiyama begins at exactly 4:59 AM. All seven districts present their kakiyama floats to the Kushida shrine in five-minute intervals. Then the carriers put all their energy in pushing and carrying the floats as fast as they could until the end of the course. Spectators cheer them on, as water is poured on the roads to reduce friction between the roads and the floats, and also on the carriers to prevent them from overheating. Men shout “oisa, oisa” as they carry the one-ton kakiyama float forward. Other men, including children, who aren’t carriers also stick close to their district’s kakiyama floats to cheer them on. Mainly for this race, Hakata Gion Yamakasa was designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016.
Other Places to Visit in Hakata
As a tip for visitors viewing the kazariyama floats, experts say they look best 10 m (32 ft) away—because that way you can enjoy both the big picture and the details on the small puppets at the same time. That is the same distance the puppet craftsmen check their work too.
As a tip for visitors viewing the oiyama race, spectators are expected to stay behind the ropes to prevent injuries. Stay behind the ropes when you watch, and also try not to get your phone or camera wet if you’re taking pictures. There’s going to be water being pouring all over the floats. You might want to standby early if you're going to have a good look. There are large crowds of people.
Other places to visit in the Hakata area is the Seaside Momochi- reclaimed land along the bay with modern facilities such as museums, restaurants, and beaches. Main attractions include the highest building in Fukuoka city, the Fukuoka tower, that is 234 meters (about 767 ft) tall and the Momochi Seaside Park, an artificial beach with an artificial island in the middle with restaurants and cafes. You can also visit Canal City as mentioned above, which is one of the most popular shopping malls in Hakata, with about 250 shops to see. Don’t forget to visit Kushida shrine too.
