Hanawa Bayashi

Overview

Hanawa Bayashi is a festival held over two days on August 19 and 20 every year in Hanawa, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, formally called the float event of the Hanawa Festival. Offered as the festival music of Saiwai Inari Shrine, the tutelary deity of Hanawa, it is an event in which ten gorgeous, magnificent floats parade through the town all night long, riding on festival music full of the fervor of young people. It is the largest festival of Kazuno City and a float event representative of the Tohoku region, counted among the Three Great Bayashi of Japan.

The greatest characteristic of this event lies in its glittering floats and the spirited, lively festival music that colors them. The music and float procession, unfolding through the night, are the very fervor of the young people who take part, and overwhelm those who watch. With a long history said to go back to the late Heian period, it has been designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property because of its high cultural value and registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, making it one of the float events representative of Japan.

History and Origins

The origins of Hanawa Bayashi are said to go back to the late Heian period. It is said that this event began as festival music offered to Saiwai Inari Shrine, revered as the tutelary deity guarding the land of Hanawa. With faith in the guardian deity of the land at its core, the festival music and the float procession became joined over long years, developing into the splendid float event of today. The faith and pride of the local people have supported this festival to the present day.

At the center of the festival is the religious meaning of the offering to Saiwai Inari Shrine. Carried out as a festival for the tutelary deity, this event is not mere entertainment but is inseparably bound to the prayer wishing for the peace and prosperity of the region. For the people of Hanawa, this festival has been an important occasion to confirm their connection to the land and to hand it down across generations. The depth of this event lies in the way faith and performing art become one.

Hanawa Bayashi is counted among the Three Great Bayashi of Japan, and the high quality of its festival music is widely known nationwide. Ten gorgeous, magnificent floats are each handed down by neighborhood, and the technique of the music has been refined mainly by the young people. That the neighborhoods have guarded and nurtured the tradition while competing with one another has been the driving force that gives rise to the vitality and high level of completion of this festival.

Hanawa Bayashi, handed down in this way, was designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2014 as the float event of the Hanawa Festival. Furthermore, in 2016 it was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as one of the Yama, Hoko, and Yatai float events, and its value is recognized internationally as a float event representative of Japan. The faith and performing art rooted in the region have been positioned as a treasure of the world.

Highlights

The Station Front Event The greatest highlight of Hanawa Bayashi is the station front event, in which the floats of all the neighborhoods gather at the plaza in front of Kazuno-Hanawa Station and compete in festival music. The way ten floats assemble in one place, and each neighborhood competes with the music it has refined, is the moment when the excitement of the entire festival reaches its climax. The fervor woven by the glittering floats and the lively music is a scene in which one can experience the very essence of this festival.

Ten Floats Parading Through the Town All Night Ten gorgeous, magnificent floats parade through the town all night long, riding on the festival music full of the fervor of young people. The sight of the floats, lit by lanterns, making their way through the night town of Hanawa is fantastical, showing a face of the festival different from daytime. The procession that continues through the night is supported by the extraordinary passion of the participants, and lets one fully savor the fervor of the festival.

The Spirited Festival Music Borne by Young People The music of Hanawa Bayashi has been handed down mainly by young people, and its spirited, lively resonance gives rise to a power worthy of the name of the Three Great Bayashi of Japan. The music played by flutes, drums, and other instruments as one powerfully enlivens the float procession and is the lifeline running through the entire festival. The enthusiasm of the young people who will bear the next generation is put into this music.

Floats with Individuality by Neighborhood The ten floats are each handed down by neighborhood, and the individuality of each town appears in the decoration and design. Following the procession while comparing the gorgeously decorated floats is also a key to enjoying this festival deeply. The competition of the floats, which each neighborhood has guarded and nurtured with pride, tells of the unity of the region and the depth of the tradition.

The Prayer of Offering to the Tutelary Deity Hanawa Bayashi is carried out as an offering to Saiwai Inari Shrine, the tutelary deity of Hanawa. Behind the gorgeous floats and music lies a deep faith in the guardian deity of the land, and a prayer wishing for the peace and prosperity of the region is put into it. It is precisely this structure, in which entertainment and faith become one, that makes Hanawa Bayashi a meaningful traditional event beyond mere merrymaking.

Event Information and Access

• Location: Hanawa, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture
• Venue: The Omachi and Shinmachi shopping streets, the plaza in front of Kazuno-Hanawa Station, and others
• Dates: Two days, August 19 and 20, every year
• Main contents: The float procession, the station front event (the gathering of floats and the competition of music), and the offering to Saiwai Inari Shrine
• Cultural property designation: National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property (2014) and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Yama, Hoko, and Yatai float events (2016)
• Access: Around JR Hanawa Line Kazuno-Hanawa Station; special trains also run in accordance with the festival

Nearby Attractions

Kazuno City, which serves as the stage of Hanawa Bayashi, is located in the northeastern part of Akita Prefecture and is a region blessed with rich nature and historical culture. Saiwai Inari Shrine, the center of the festival, draws the faith of the region as the tutelary deity of Hanawa, and worshipping there alongside viewing the festival lets one more deeply sense the religious background of this event. The townscape centered on the Omachi and Shinmachi shopping streets becomes one with the atmosphere of the festival as the stage of the float event.

Kazuno City is also known as a region with historical heritage from ancient times, such as the Oyu Stone Circles, a nationally designated Special Historic Site. With many sights such as Jomon-period ruins, rich hot springs, and majestic natural scenery, one can, taking the visit to Hanawa Bayashi as an occasion, broadly tour the history and culture of Kazuno. It has an appeal unique to a land where a traditional event and historical heritage coexist.

The whole of northern Akita Prefecture is a nature-rich region surrounded by mountains, dotted with scenic spots such as hot spring areas and valleys. With the splendid float event of Hanawa Bayashi at its core, by touring the nearby tourism resources as well, one can fully savor the deep nature and culture of northern Tohoku. Hanawa Bayashi in summer is an event that becomes a great occasion to visit this region.

Related Information

• Month: August (two days, the 19th and 20th)
• Location: Hanawa, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture (Tohoku region)
• Venue: Saiwai Inari Shrine and the Omachi and Shinmachi shopping streets, the plaza in front of Kazuno-Hanawa Station
• Type: A festival of Saiwai Inari Shrine, a float event
• Cultural property: National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Yama, Hoko, and Yatai float events
• Features: Origins in the late Heian period; one of the Three Great Bayashi of Japan; ten gorgeous, magnificent floats; the competition of music at the station front event

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