Itako Gion Matsuri

The Itako Gion Festival is a float festival representative of the water town of Itako, held over three days from the first Friday to Sunday of August each year in the city of Itako, Ibaraki Prefecture. It is the grand annual festival of Soga Kumano Shrine, enshrined on Tenno-yama, and is known as a spirited and splendid festival boasting a history and tradition of more than eight hundred years.

The stars of the festival are its fourteen gorgeous floats. Each float is adorned with a large figure modeled on a historical personage, and their height reaches more than four meters. Three of the floats are designated cultural properties of the prefecture, and the Itako-bayashi music played atop the floats is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the prefecture. As a great summer event coloring the water town, it draws many people from within and beyond the region.

History and Origins

The Itako Gion Festival has been conducted as the grand annual festival of Soga Kumano Shrine, enshrined on Tenno-yama. Soga Kumano Shrine is said to be an ancient shrine with a history of more than a thousand years since its founding, and long years have passed since it was moved to the land of Itako. The origin of the festival itself is also said to trace back several centuries, and it is a festival that has accumulated a history and tradition of more than eight hundred years.

As its name Gion Festival indicates, this festival belongs to the current of Gion faith, which prays for the dispelling of epidemics. In an age when epidemics readily spread at the height of summer, people enshrined the deity of Suga, connected with Susanoo no Mikoto, prayed to ward off calamity, and prayed for the peace of the region. In Itako, which was a water-town land, such a festival based on Gion faith has been handed down continuously, bound up with the life of the region.

Itako is a town that opened in a water-town district connected to the Tone River and Lake Kasumigaura, and it flourished from early times through water transport. In this town, which prospered as a key point of water transport linking Edo and the northeast, a culture developed of preparing gorgeous floats and holding the festival on a grand scale against the background of economic prosperity. The large figures adorning the floats and the refined strains of the Itako-bayashi have been polished as reflections of the town's prosperity and pride.

Today the floats appearing in the festival number fourteen, three of which are designated cultural properties of the prefecture. The Itako-bayashi played atop the floats by the musicians' guilds is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the prefecture and forms an indispensable coloring of sound for the festival. A varied array of performances, beginning with the lion dance of the third district, has also been handed down together, and the festival has come to the present as one symbolizing summer in the water town of Itako.

Highlights

The Procession of Fourteen Floats The greatest highlight of the Itako Gion Festival is the sight of the fourteen gorgeous floats being drawn through the town. The spectacle of each district's proud float being pulled along with spirited cries is magnificent, and over the three days the water town is wrapped in the fervor of the festival. The sheer scale of being able to see so many floats at once is a great charm of this festival.

The Large Figures Exceeding Four Meters Atop the floats are placed large figures modeled on historical personages. Their height reaches more than four meters, with a power that makes one look up. The figures representing warriors and heroes are elaborately made and bring out the individuality of each float. The large figures enshrined at the summit of the floats advancing through the town are a presence that symbolizes the splendor of the festival.

The Strains of the Itako-bayashi The Itako-bayashi played atop the floats by the musicians' guilds is the sonic essence of the festival, designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the prefecture. The strains woven by flute, drum, and gong add dynamism to the procession of the floats and further heighten the atmosphere of the festival. The refined music that has been handed down conveys the finest of Itako's festival culture.

The Skill of the Float Procession The floats advancing through the alleys of the water town require skill and strength at every turn, in changing direction in narrow places and in the coordination of the pullers. In the actions of the procession handed down in each district, and in the scenes where floats pass one another, are concentrated the mastery and spirit of the bearers. The tension-filled procession never ceases to captivate onlookers.

The Lion Dance of the Third District Along with the procession of the floats, performances such as the lion dance of the third district add color to the festival. Traditional performing arts have been handed down within the festival, adding a character distinct from the splendor of the floats. By combining such a varied array of performances, the Itako Gion Festival possesses the multilayered depth of a festival.

The Floats Designated as Cultural Properties Three of the fourteen floats are designated cultural properties of the prefecture, and their form and decoration are recognized as having historical and cultural value. Being able to see up close the floats that have been handed down and preserved over long years is a precious experience unique to this festival. The floats, in which the town's prosperity and the skill of craftsmen are crystallized, tell the very history of the festival.

Event Information

• Date: Three days from the first Friday to Sunday of August each year
• Venue: Itako City, Ibaraki Prefecture (the town center of the water town of Itako)
• Host Shrine: The grand annual festival of Soga Kumano Shrine (enshrined on Tenno-yama)
• Floats: Fourteen in total, three of which are prefectural cultural properties
• Music: Itako-bayashi (Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the prefecture)
• History: A festival of Gion faith with a history and tradition of more than eight hundred years

Related Events and Nearby Places

Soga Kumano Shrine, the heart of the festival, is an ancient shrine enshrined on Tenno-yama in Itako. Said to have a history of more than a thousand years since its founding, it has long drawn faith as the chief guardian shrine of the land of Itako. On the day of the festival, the floats set out into the town starting from this shrine. It is a shrine one would want to visit first in order to understand the origins of the festival.

Itako is known as a town representative of the water-town district, and in early summer the irises blooming in profusion at the Itako Iris Garden are famous, drawing many sightseers to the iris festival as well. Although the season differs from August of the Gion Festival, the charm of the water town colored by water and flowers is unique to Itako, and it is a place worth visiting throughout the four seasons.

The area around Itako is a region blessed with rich waterside scenery connected to the Tone River and Lake Kasumigaura. The townscape that conveys to the present its history of once flourishing through water transport, and the nature nurtured by river and lake, spread out here. When visiting the Itako Gion Festival, one can fully savor the charm of the region together with boat tours that experience the character and history of the water town.

Related Information

• Month: August (three days from the first Friday to Sunday)
• Prefecture and Region: Itako City, Ibaraki Prefecture; Kanto region
• Host Shrine: Soga Kumano Shrine (enshrined on Tenno-yama)
• Origin: Gion faith praying for the dispelling of epidemics; a history of more than eight hundred years
• Cultural Property: Three floats are prefectural cultural properties, and the Itako-bayashi is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the prefecture
• Features: A water-town float festival known for its fourteen floats, large figures exceeding four meters, and the Itako-bayashi

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