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Kuroiwa Gion Festival
[Ichinomiya-City]
Date : 8/4/2018
  • Kuroiwa Gion Festival
【The lanterns of the floats light up the night sky】
Kuroiwa Gion Festival is a festival of the Iwato-jinja Shrine enshrined in Kuroiwa, Azai-cho, where floats decorated with lanterns like the Makiwara boat are pulled around. The Iwato-jinja Shrine called itself the Tenno-sha Shrine from 1661 to 1672 during the Kanbun era, and according to the Kuroiwa Village, Haguri County section of the ""Kanbun Muramura Oboegaki"" is says, ""Tenno-sha Shrine with an area of 700 m2, which is exempt from tax, had control over the entire village"". From this, the connection can be seen between this shrine and the Tsushima-sha Shrine.
Today, the festival is held on the 1st Saturday of August, but it was originally held on June 15th of the lunar calendar. It is said that the festival was first begun to comfort the souls of the victims of the Horeki river improvement incident. In the ""Kaichu Suzuri Haguri Ichiranso"" written by Koriki Enkoan Tanenobu in the early 19th century, a ""boat festival held on Okawa River"" is mentioned, and we are told of how the festival was held on river boats.
While river festivals of other villages along the Kiso River are held aboard boats, Kuroiwa's festival became to be held on land because there was no place for the boats to moor. The festival used to be held at the Sui-jinja Shrine on the dike. In the Meiji period when the dike was lower than it is now, the parade went to the east of the dike in front of the Iwato-jinja Shrine to Miyataguchi, and back to the shrine again. Today, the float and a band playing festival music goes from Kuroiwa Community Center to Iwato-jinja Shrine and back, and at the end, an Okuribune boat with offerings is launched where the Kiso River and Miyata Canal meet.
The single-car float is made of two tiers with an open Karahafu-style roof, and beehive-like structure to attach the paper lanterns to. It is 15 m tall with four side-mounted wheels made from a single piece of wood, and is made to look like a boat with a stem carrying red and white lanterns.
This is an important festival that tells us about the folk rituals of the Ichinomiya City region, because the area along the Kiso River remains one of strong belief in the Indian god Gavagriva and the water god. Ichinomiya City's intangible folk-cultural property.

Photo Gallery

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  • Kuroiwa Gion Festival
  • Kuroiwa Gion Festival
  • Kuroiwa Gion Festival
  • Kuroiwa Gion Festival
  • Kuroiwa Gion Festival

Festival Overview

Overview

Date 8/4/2018
Time From 19:00 to 21:00
Venue Kuroiwa Iwato-jinja Shrine(Sekitozuka, Kuroiwa, Azai-cho, Ichinomiya City)
Phone number Kuroiwa Gion Festival Preservation Association Representative Toyoaki Tsuge  0586-51-0622

Access / Map

Access / Map

Access by public transport Take the Meitetsu Bus bound for Kawashima or Miyata-Hongo from JR Owari-Ichinomiya Station or Meitetsu Ichinomiya Station, and alight at Kawada-Kuroiwa.
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