Yaotomi-jinja Shrine Annual Grand Festival | Portal Website for Float Festivals in Aichi Prefecture

Yaotomi-jinja Shrine Annual Grand Festival: [Gamagori-City]; Date : Oct.(The first ten days), Oct.(The middle ten days)

: (Origin, etc.) The festival started in the end of the Edo period and increased in scale from the early Meiji period. It is said that the lord of the Matsudaira clan of Gamagori visited the shrine with his retainers when the annual festival was held during the Edo period. (From archives of Takeshima Island / Yaotomi-jinja Shrine)
(Transitions, etc.) The dance of the seven gods of good luck held at the festival is an imitation of the one dedicated at the Miya Festival. Before the war, a lively parade of floats from each group was held along with the dance of the seven gods of good luck, however, it became obsolete due to (1) the change in how people regarded the deities after defeat in the war, and 2) there was a shortage of young men to pull the floats because they left to go to school, and the event was discontinued in around 1970. Later in 1977, the event was revived as a part of the Gamagori Festival, and in the same year, a Shichifukujin Dance Preservation Association was founded. (Origin of Takeshima's Shichifukujin Dance)
(Festival events, etc) A total of 16 floats from each district join in the Yaotomi-jinja Shrine Annual Festival. The floats parade within their district on the first day, and proceed to the Yohaijo (a place of worship) on the second day. A lively atmosphere is created in the shrine parishioners' districts, with the dedication of dances, along with the hand held fireworks on the first day and rice cake-throwing on the second day.

Festival Overview

Date	Oct.(The first ten days), Oct.(The middle ten days)
Venue	Takeshima-cho 3-15, Gamagori City
Phone number	０５３３－６８－３７００（Yaotomi-jinja Shrine）
Number of floats	17

Access by public transport	Approx. 15 minutes' walk from JR Tokaido Main Line / Meitetsu Gamagori Line Gamagori Station.
Access by car	Approx. 15 minutes by car from Tomei Expressway Otowa-Gamagori Exit.