— Festivals — A Harbinger of Spring

In the old days, Japan was an agricultural society

based on cultivating crops such as rice.

All around the country,

communities held seasonal festivals to pray for abundant crops

and also to express gratitude for their harvests.

Hi there. My name is Kyle, and as some of you may know,

I really love Japanese festivals.

I'm sure you can agree there is truly nothing else like them.

They really break you out of your daily routine and the hustle and bustle,

and are great stress releases.

On this edition of "Journeys in Japan,"

we're going to take a look back on some festivals we've covered

whose themes predominantly cover farming culture.

We have autumn harvest festivals

celebrating an abundant harvest

and praying for success in the next.

We have winter leisure festivals

where there's no farming to be done,

but they pray for health and

prosperity in the new cycle.

And then we have festivals that celebrate

the coming of spring

asking the deities for blessings

and abundance in the coming season.

FESTIVALS - A HARBINGER OF SPRING

First up, we have Karatsu Kunchi

which is located in Saga Prefecture.

Let's take a look.

The city of Karatsu lies in northern Kyushu

some 930 kilometers to the west of Tokyo.

During the Edo period up to the mid-19th century,

Karatsu was a prosperous castle town.

Every year, the town's main shrine

would hold an autumn harvest festival called Karatsu Kunchi.

The word Kunchi refers to the day

when people express gratitude for their harvests

and give offerings to the gods.

By the 19th century, the local merchants took over running the festival

and built lavishly decorated floats known as hikiyama.

I can hear some sort of flute music coming from this building.

It sounds really similar to the music that's been playing all around the city.

I wonder if it has something to do with Kunchi.

Let's go take a look inside.

One of the floats belongs to the Honmachi neighborhood.

Ahead of the big day, the local people practice the music they play in the parade.

The musicians are boys ranging from elementary to high school age.

They gather here every day to practice.

Hiraoka Tsutomu is the man

in charge of the hikiyama float in Honmachi.

Please tell me about your float.

This is the Honmachi float.

It's known as Kinjishi, the golden lion.

Golden lion! Wow.

- Is that real gold?
- Yes.

- Our Kinjishi float was built in 1847.
- Wow.

I was born in this town and I've been taking part in Kunchi since I was young.

So I feel as if I grew up with this float.

Kunchi is part of our lives.

I want to pass on our float in good condition.

I want these children to pull it when they are grown up, just like we do now.

We want to keep our tradition alive for future generations.

Preparing for Kunchi is part of our everyday lives.

Karatsu Kunchi takes place over three days

starting November 2nd each year.

On the first day, the 14 floats are paraded

through the streets after night has fallen.

Oh, here comes Kinjishi!

I'm excited for this one.

It looks so awesome.

The gold is so shiny.

It's really awesome to hear the hayashi music

during the event here. So this is what they work for,

practice so hard for.

To play on the yama during the festival.

It sounds great.

It still has that hypnotic element.

It's good times.

On the second day, the floats are drawn

through a wider area of the town.

Later on, they're brought to the Nishinohama district

by the waterfront together with a portable shrine

from the Karatsu main shrine.

Everyone's struggling so much, but they all have smiles on their face.

It seems like some sort of special promenade

for this person of the picture they're holding up for.

Is something special going on?

One of our community elders passed away.

So we're doing this in his memory.

I'm sure my father is very happy.

He loved Karatsu Kunchi so much.

He passed away right after last year's Kunchi.

This year, everyone's remembering him.

My father must be enjoying it.

It's getting more and more apparent to me that Kunchi is one giant community,

one giant family that cherishes the devotees,

even the ones that they lose along the way.

In the late afternoon,

the floats are taken back from Nishinohama

to their respective neighborhoods.

After three days, the festival will be over.

But from the very next day,

the people of Karatsu will be looking ahead

to the following year's Kunchi.

Wasn't that enjoyable?

The passion and the excitement of the festival

continues to be passed down to generation to generation,

and even a global pandemic cannot extinguish its fire.

Next up is the Yokagura festival located in Takachiho.

Let's take a look.

850 kilometers southwest of Tokyo,

Takachiho lies in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture.

Nestled deep in the mountains of central Kyushu,

Takachiho plays a key role in Japan's ancient creation myths.

In the center of the town stands Takachiho Shrine.

Dating back some 1,900 years,

this structure, steeped in legend,

represents the focus of this community.

Takachiho is said to be the place where the gods descended.

According to legend, this was the first place they set foot on Earth.

Wow. The gods came here first?

That's right.

This place is really special then.

Thank you.

This ritual dance known as yokagura

depicts Japan's creation myths.

Since the old days, it's been performed by the villagers

during the off-season.

The most popular section of the yokagura dance

is the legend of Amano Iwato.

According to legend,

the Sun Goddess Amaterasu once hid herself in a cave,

plunging the world into darkness.

To lure her out,

the Goddess of Entertainment performed a humorous dance

for the assembled gods.

When Amaterasu peeked out to see why they were laughing so loud,

the God of Great Strength moved the rock door away

bringing sunlight back to the world.

The Yokagura Festival traditionally gives thanks

and celebrates a successful harvest season.

As you can see here in Takachiho, the harvest season has come to a close.

That must mean it's festival time.

I'm on my way to the location

where the yokagura is apparently going to take place.

Hello.

Is this where yokagura is going to take place?

- Will the yokagura be held here?
- Yes.

Great!

We're preparing for it.

Traditionally, yokagura takes place inside people's homes

with performances lasting all through the night.

The whole community prepares for the event.

- What are you doing?
- This is burdock root.

- Burdock root.
- We're cutting burdock for the sushi.

That's a lot of burdock.

Who are you going to feed?

We'll feed everyone who comes to the performance.

It will be cold, so we'll also serve udon noodles.

- You're so kind.
- It's just part of our tradition.

Starting at 6 PM after the sun has set

and continuing till 10 the next morning,

the dance comprises 33 acts

depicting the ancient legends of Japan.

The first act depicts the descent of the gods.

This is performed by the local children.

This seems to be the rest area and preparation area

for all the staff and the volunteers involved.

The behind the scenes.

It's too early to rest.

Kyle, you must dance with them.

- I have to dance?
- Yes, you dance too.

Go to the room with the light on.

So I have to go in this backroom now to

get ready for my dance number.

Turn this way.

What kind of dance am I supposed to do?

- How about disco dancing?
- Disco? Disco dance.

How come we can do any kind of dance we like?

Just express yourself in the dance.

In this world, there are all kinds of gods.

- So just dance like you're one of them. I see.
- I see.

Thank you very much.

I believe that this is the God of Entertainment...

I believe.

Am I right?

Yes.

For this section, seven spectators are called to participate in the dance.

They put on costumes and masks.

The dance is called Shichikijin.

It depicts how the god Okuninushi

goes to create the country

taking seven deities along with him.

Next, it's Kyle's turn to dance.

That was amazing.

I hope I did a good job.

Actually, I'll be honest, that was really embarrassing.

It is currently past midnight, all right?

They've been dancing since about 6 this evening...

or yesterday evening, and this is going to continue until 10 AM.

Yes, 10 AM today. So another good 10 hours

left of straight dancing.

Shortly before sunrise, the dance reaches its climax.

The God of Strength, Tajikarao appears.

He throws away the rock door,

and light returns to the world.

To ensure that the rites of yokagura go unbroken,

in recent years, the festival has taken place without spectators and streamed online.

I hope that I can one day go to Takachiho

and watch and participate in the dances once again.

And the final festival we're going to look back on today

is the Sominsai or the "Naked Festival"

which takes place in the heart of winter in Iwate Prefecture.

It's a festival that prays for health, safety and an abundant spring.

Let's take a look.

Oshu City is located in an inland area of Iwate Prefecture

500 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.

More than 800 years ago,

this used to be the capital of the whole Tohoku region of northeast Japan.

Ruled by a powerful clan,

it was the center of politics and culture,

and many historic sites remain to this day.

Hi, my name's Dean.

I'm freaking cold!

I'm in Oshu in the southern part of Iwate Prefecture,

and I'm here to take part in a secret and mysterious festival.

So, recently, this festival was only open to the local people.

Luckily for me, foreigners can now take part.

And I'm kind of wondering with this one, what have I let myself in for?

But I know it's going to be a good time.

Wow, these guys are wild!

In winter, snow covers this region.

Since ancient times, festivals have been held in this season

to pray for the crops to grow strongly in the year to come.

Participants place bundles of straw

in the snow-covered paddy field

symbolizing the planting of rice

seedlings in the spring.

In ancient Japan, farmers would literally only have 10 days off in a year.

This event is based on customs from that time.

Nouhadate just means the literal start of the farming year.

In the year 729,

the first Buddhist temple in the Tohoku region was founded here.

It's called Kokusekiji.

So this is the place, huh?

The Sominsai festival has been held here for over 1,000 years.

Each year on the seventh day of the first month of the lunar calendar,

the local men gather in the dead of night.

The festival continues until dawn

when the men scramble to grab a bag called the Sominbukuro

which is said to bring good fortune to the person who can get hold of it.

- Welcome to our temple.
- I'm Dean.

I'm here to apply for the festival.

Sominsai is not a typical festival.

The participants all compete for the blessings, and it can be a bit dangerous.

You have to use your own physical strength to obtain the blessings of Buddha.

So you have to purify yourself.

From now until the event finishes, you must eat shojin Zen cuisine.

That means no meat, fish, eggs or dairy.

And no garlic or other strong-smelling foods.

Thank you very much.

The men perform rituals

to cleanse their bodies.

First, they douse themselves

in the biting cold water

of a nearby river.

To cast out bad luck

and to purify themselves,

they bathe in the smoke and

sparks of a burning fire.

They also cleanse the approach to the stairs into the temple's hall of worship.

The festival reaches its climax from 5 AM

when the temperature has dropped to its lowest point.

Cut the light!

The lights are extinguished

and the Sominbukuro is thrown into the crowd.

It is made of hemp and contains lucky talismans.

Whoever gets hold of one is considered to be blessed with good fortune.

The men are divided into two groups representing east and west.

Pushing and heaving, they scramble to reach the lucky bag.

Whoever grabs it is thought to bring bounteous harvests

to those living in the same direction as him.

These guys never give up.

They've already been working hard on it for one hour.

They work endless.

The struggle continues till dawn.

This impressive festival is considered a harbinger of spring in Iwate.

In recent years during this pandemic,

the majority of Japanese festivals have been radically modified

for safety or, unfortunately, canceled completely.

However, the bare minimum spiritual rites

continue to be performed by temple personal

and small groups of organizers.

The hundreds of years of history and traditions

passed down from the ancestors

will remain unbroken.

I truly hope for a swift end to this pandemic

so that perhaps from next year

the festivals can return in full force

bringing with them a passion and exhilaration

that will reverberate for generations to come.

Karatsu Kunchi is held in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture,

Yokagura in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture,

and Sominsai in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture.