- Futagawa Hachiman-jinja Shrine Festival
- [Toyohashi-City]
- Date : 10/6/2018 to 10/7/2018
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- 【A festival where traditions that should be preserved merge with new ideas】
The Hachiman-jinja Shrine Annual Grand Festival is held on the 2nd Saturday of October (Yoi Festival) and the following Sunday (Main Festival) every year. In this festival, the portable shrine carrying the deity parades the town with about 70 servants in tow, followed by three floats. Each of the three towns, Higashimachi, Nakamachi, and Shinbashi-cho, own a Karakuri puppet float called an Okuruma. On the upper part of Nakamachi's Okuruma float is a Watonai doll (a hero of a famous Joruri puppet play), and on the front part is a Zaifuri (commander) Karako doll. The Watonai doll re-enacts a scene from the "Beninagashi" from the 3rd act of "The Battles of Coxinga". Being Karako dolls, these dolls are strongly influenced by Chinese culture, which differentiates them from the dolls of other towns. On the upper part of Shinbashi-cho's Okuruma float is a Ono-no-Tofu (calligrapher) doll holding an umbrella, along with a willow, frog, and an iris, which recount a story with a moral about working hard. On the front part of the float is a Shinto priest doll waving a wand with paper streamers. On the upper part of Higashimachi's Okuruma float is a full moon, a rabbit pounding rice, silver grass, and Japanese maple leaves. Some say they are symbols of the town, while others say that they represent a scene from the Kabuki dance "Gyokuto" (the rabbit on the moon), which was popular in the end of Edo period, just like it was in other towns.
Festival Overview
Overview
| Date | 10/6/2018 to 10/7/2018 |
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| Venue | Higashimachi 85-1, Futagawa-cho, Toyohashi City |
Access / Map
Access / Map
| Access by public transport | Alight at JR Tokaido Line Futagawa Station, and walk for 13 minutes (1 km) to the east from the north exit. |
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