Fukagawa Matsuri

Overview

The Fukagawa Matsuri is the annual festival of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine in Koto Ward, Tokyo, and is counted, along with the Kanda Matsuri and the Sanno Matsuri, as one of the three great festivals of Edo. It is particularly cherished by the nickname of the water-throwing festival, because spectators along the route douse the bearers with purifying water, and it is known as a spirited festival that wraps the midsummer town of Koto in both coolness and frenzy.

The greatest feature of the festival lies in the joint procession, in which more than fifty portable shrines parade through the town in a continuous line. The bearers' cries of wasshoi and the spray of water lavished without reserve from the roadside come together as one, and it is in the distinctive sense of unity, as if the boundary between those who carry and those who watch dissolves, that the true essence of this festival is found.

History and Origins

Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, which presides over the Fukagawa Matsuri, is the largest Hachiman shrine in Edo, founded in 1627 in the early Edo period. As the whole of Fukagawa, then a sandbar, was developed through land reclamation, the shrine gathered deep faith as its guardian deity. Receiving the protection of the shogun family as well, its gate front developed into a great pleasure quarter bustling with worshippers.

Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine is also known as the birthplace of Edo benefit sumo. In the Edo period, the benefit sumo held within the precincts became one of the origins of today's grand sumo, and even now a monument inscribed with the names of successive grand champions stands in the precincts. This history, in which sumo and Hachiman faith were joined, has supported the prestige of the festival and its deep connection with the common people of Edo.

The Fukagawa Matsuri has traditionally been held once every three years, centered on the main festival, in which the phoenix palanquin bearing the divine spirit tours the parishioner districts. The three-year cycle heightens anticipation for the festival all the more, and in the year of the main festival a grand joint procession is realized, with each of the more than fifty parishioner neighborhoods sending out its own portable shrine. This very periodicity has served as a mechanism nurturing the enthusiasm of the people of Fukagawa for the festival.

In earlier times it boasted a splendor that resounded throughout Edo as the Hachiman festival of Fukagawa, yet records also remain of crowds so large that a bridge once collapsed under the weight of spectators. The spirit of a festival that so thrilled the common people of Edo has been handed down continuously to the fervor of the present-day water-throwing festival.

Highlights

The Purifying Water of the Water-Throwing Festival The greatest highlight of the Fukagawa Matsuri is the sight of spectators along the route vigorously dousing the portable-shrine bearers with water. Originally carrying the meaning of purifying the bearers and easing the midsummer heat, this water-throwing has now become a signature feature of the festival, with water dashed boldly from buckets and hoses, and the sight of the portable shrines advancing while drenched in spray thrills the onlookers.

The Joint Procession of More Than Fifty Portable Shrines The heart of the main festival is the joint procession of portable shrines, in which the more than fifty portable shrines of the parishioner neighborhoods gather in one place and parade in a continuous line. The line of portable shrines appearing one after another is overwhelming, and with the pleasure of comparing the designs of the shrines that each neighborhood takes pride in, one can savor at once the variety of portable shrines nurtured by the townspeople's culture of Edo.

One of the Largest Portable Shrines in Japan The first-shrine portable shrine owned by Tomioka Hachimangu is known as one of the largest golden portable shrines in Japan, with a total weight reaching several tons. Because it is too enormous to carry, it is not normally borne, but its gorgeous form is a treasure of the main shrine and a symbol of the festival, and to see it in the precincts is to be overwhelmed by its imposing appearance.

The Cry of Wasshoi and the Sense of Unity At the Fukagawa Matsuri, the traditional cry of wasshoi is preserved. The bearers' cries and the spectators' water-throwing answer one another, and the distinctive fervor, in which those who carry and those who watch rise to a fever pitch as one indistinguishable whole, is a charm unique to Fukagawa found in no other festival.

Kiyari Songs and Festival Music Along the route of the procession, kiyari songs derived from the firefighter culture of Edo, as well as festival music of flute and drum, ring out. The traditional melodic phrasings add color to the progress of the portable shrines, and the sense they give of the depth of a performing arts culture continuing from Edo is also one of the highlights of this festival.

Tomioka Hachimangu and the Grand Champion Monuments The precincts of Tomioka Hachimangu, the stage of the festival, are also full of highlights. Monuments to grand champions and champions conveying the birth of Edo benefit sumo stand in a row, allowing one to reflect on the history of sumo, and the shrine is also known as a place where Ino Tadataka worshipped when setting out on his journey of surveying, making it a space in which the varied history of Edo is concentrated.

Event Information

• Location: Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine in Tomioka, Koto Ward, Tokyo, and the parishioner districts
• Period: Mid-August each year (the main festival with the joint procession of portable shrines is held once every three years)
• Main Events: The joint procession of portable shrines, the water-throwing, children's portable shrines, and the main-shrine portable shrine procession
• Access: About a 3-minute walk from Monzen-nakacho Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line or the Toei Oedo Line
• Admission: Free to watch from the roadside
• Official Information: The distinction between the main and off-year festivals and the procession route are announced through Tomioka Hachimangu

Nearby Attractions

Monzen-nakacho, the stage of the festival, is an area full of the atmosphere of the old downtown, having prospered, as its name suggests, as the gate-front town of Tomioka Hachimangu. Long-established restaurants and Japanese confectionery shops line the approach and the surrounding shopping streets, and before or after the festival one can enjoy the food-walking unique to the old downtown of Edo.

Adjacent to Tomioka Hachimangu is Fukagawa Fudodo, the Tokyo branch temple of Naritasan Shinshoji. At this temple, cherished as the Fudo of Fukagawa, powerful fire rituals are performed, and worshipping it together with the Hachiman shrine lets one experience the religious culture of Fukagawa, where faith in both the Shinto and Buddhist deities lives on.

The Fukagawa area is also known as the place from which Matsuo Basho set out on his journey of The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and the Basho Memorial Museum stands nearby. Famous spots such as the promenade along the Sumida River and the Kiyosumi Garden are also scattered about, and a walking route spreads out where one can quietly savor the atmosphere of Edo, the city of water, quite different from the fervor of the festival.

Related Information

• Month: Mid-August (summer)
• Prefecture: Tokyo (Kanto region)
• Parent Shrine: Tomioka Hachimangu (the largest Hachiman shrine in Edo; birthplace of Edo benefit sumo)
• Standing: One of the three great festivals of Edo, along with the Kanda Matsuri and the Sanno Matsuri
• Alternative Name: The water-throwing festival (spectators douse the bearers with purifying water)
• Highlights: The joint procession of more than fifty portable shrines, and one of the largest first-shrine portable shrines in Japan

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