Experience Osakas exciting and dangerous float festivals

Experience Osakas exciting and dangerous float festivals

a dangerous festival in October

Over several weeks in October, the Danjiri festivals are seen as one of the most dangerous events in the Japanese festival calendar. The heavy cars weigh several tons, and when navigating for sharp curves, accidents can occasionally pass. For the people who sit on the moving Danjiri and are referred to as "Daikugata", it can even be fatal.

"Danjiri can sometimes tip over or collide, and I saw how Daikugata fell," says Shinya Ogura, a six-time Danjiri rider at one of these festivals in the Otori region of Osaka.

The fascination of the Daikugata

For Ogura, the view from above and the thrill is to stay up there, part of what makes experience so addicted. "I think it's a very rewarding position," he says. "My grandfather and father took part since I was a child and I followed them."

across generations, it is estimated that the festivals began about 300 years ago to protect local communities from illness and misfortune or to pray for a rich harvest.

a tradition of wood processing

The Danjiri festivals have also celebrated the craft of wood processing for centuries. "Daikugata" literally means "carpenter"; The respected role at the festival was once reserved for people who built the cars. Each Danjiri is decorated with hundreds of hand -carved figures.

Today, craftsmen like Akihiko Maeda continue tradition. The 48-year-old gave up the riding of the Danjiri about a decade ago, but continues to build and restore cars for the communities in Osaka. "I've been working on Danjiri for several decades," says Maeda. "I constantly try to find paths to capture the cool poses of the sculptures so that they look like they are starting to move."

The challenges of the present

Maeda explains that the production of a tailor -made Danjiri can take up to five years. The district pays about $ 650,000. "As soon as a Danjiri is built, it is used an average of 70 to 80 years," says the craftsman. But the demand for Maeda's work decreases because the number of festival participants is falling.

with Recorded birth rates shrinks all over Japan. In 2020, almost 28 % of the population in Osaka were over 65 years old, compared to the global average of just over 9 %.

a decline in the number of participants

KAZUMA NAKAO, who has been participating in the Danjiri festival in Otori for more than 40 years, says that there is not enough physically capable people to pull their car. "We have to borrow people from other districts. Every city is now," he says.

What this year's group misses in numbers make up for their enthusiasm. Some take part in the festivals of several cities in succession, an endurance performance that lasts far into the evening.

The future of the Danjiri festivals

ogura hopes that the increase in the global profile of the Danjiri festivals will help to survive their traditions in future generations. "I want people from abroad to see them when they come to Japan," says Ogura. "I hope that this remains a festival that small children can enjoy."