Kanuma lmamiya Shrine Festival

Overview

The Yatai (Float) Festival of Kanuma Imamiya Shrine (Kanuma Imamiya Jinja Sai no Yatai Gyoji) is an annual autumn festival held each October at Imamiya Shrine in Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture. Its defining feature is the presentation of lavishly carved wooden floats, known as "carved floats" (chokoku yatai), offered to the shrine by the parish towns. Locally the festival is affectionately called the "Kanuma Autumn Festival" or the "Buttsuke Festival," and it draws around twenty musical floats from roughly twenty-seven parish towns. It ranks among the foremost float festivals of the Kanto region, and in both the quality and number of its carved floats it stands among the finest in all of Japan.

The greatest highlight of the festival is the "Buttsuke," in which floats face one another and compete through their festival music. Each town tries to overwhelm its rival with the power of its playing, and this spirited musical contest is the very scene that symbolizes the Kanuma autumn festival, giving rise to its nickname the "Buttsuke Festival." In 2003 (Heisei 15) the festival was designated a nationally Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and in 2016 (Heisei 28) it was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage as one of the component elements of the "Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals in Japan."

History and Origins

The origins of the Kanuma Imamiya Shrine float festival trace back to the Edo period. The oldest documentary record dates to 1780 (An'ei 9), when the festival was still a modest rite in which simple dance floats were offered. The turning point toward the ornate carved floats seen today came with the festival reforms of the Bunsei era (around 1827) and the Tenpo era (around 1841). During this period the woodworking skill and economic strength of Kanuma came together, and a culture of adorning floats with intricate carvings blossomed.

Kanuma had long flourished as a town of woodworking, endowed with fine timber and skilled carvers. This accumulated local industry was the greatest factor supporting the development of float carving. The floats became more than mere carts; they were refined into "moving museums of sculpture" in which the towns competed to display the finest local craftsmanship. Motifs such as dragons, lion-dogs, waves, and flowers and birds came to cover every surface of the floats. The exceptional quality of the carved floats is inseparable from the geographic and industrial condition that Kanuma was a woodworking town.

The basic form of the festival is said to have been established around 1882 (Meiji 15). It was during this time that the manner in which the parish towns operated the festival and the order of the float procession took shape, forming the framework of the event thereafter. The parish towns were divided into four groups, and a rotating system in which each group took a turn managing the festival became established. On the first day of the festival, the floats parade through each town and then enter the shrine, led by the first town (ichibancho) at the head of the procession, a custom that likewise dates back to the practices settled in this era.

The festival was later forced to pause during the turmoil of the Second World War, but it was revived after the war through the efforts of the local parishioners. Behind its continued transmission lies the labor of the preservation associations of each town, who maintain the floats and hand down the festival music. Led by the Kanuma Imamiya Tsukematsuri Preservation Association, the festival passes on to future generations two cultural treasures at once: the carved floats and the festival music.

Highlights

The Buttsuke (Musical Contest)　The festival's foremost highlight is the "Buttsuke," in which floats face each other head-on and pit their festival music against one another. Determined not to lose to a rival's music, each town plays with fierce intensity, and this scene is the moment that most excites the spectators. It is the reason the Kanuma autumn festival is called the "Buttsuke Festival." Although there are no clear rules of victory or defeat, the music is honed by each town as a matter of pride, and performers and audience alike are swept up in the heat of the moment.

The Design of the Carved Floats　Each of the roughly twenty floats that appear is a carved float adorned across its entire surface with intricate sculpture. Traditional themes such as dragons, lion-dogs, crashing waves, and flowers and birds are carved in three dimensions, and some floats are further decorated with gold leaf and vivid colors. Gathering the finest craftsmanship of Kanuma, the town of woodworking, the floats are themselves moving cultural properties, and by day one can closely admire the fine detail of their carving.

The Procession and the Lead of the First Town　On the first day of the festival, the floats of each parish town first make their way through their own districts before heading toward the shrine. By custom the first town (ichibancho) leads the entry into the shrine, and as lanterns are lit on the floats the festival reaches its peak. The sight of lantern-lit floats returning to their towns creates a fantastical scene quite different from the daytime appreciation of the carvings.

Transmission of the Music and Each Town's Character　The float music of Kanuma has been handed down independently by each town, and every town has its own character in the tune and playing style of its music. During the Buttsuke, these differences between towns stand out, offering the pleasure of comparing them by ear. The music is performed by a wide range of generations, from children to adults, and through the festival the local tradition is passed down across the ages.

The Lantern Floats at Night　When evening falls, numerous lanterns are lit on the floats, and the carvings emerge from the glow of the light. Being able to enjoy in a single day the two faces of the festival, the solemn grandeur of the daytime carvings and the gaiety of the nighttime lanterns, is another of its charms. The nighttime Buttsuke, with the light of the lanterns and the sound of the music intertwining, stirs the excitement of the festival all the more.

The Combined Strength of Some Twenty-Seven Towns　This festival is supported by around twenty-seven parish towns. The towns are divided into four groups and take turns running the festival, so that the burden does not fall unevenly on any single town. That so many towns each maintain their own float and music speaks to the passion for the festival held by the community of Kanuma as a whole.

Access and Practical Information

• Location: Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture (Imamiya Shrine and the surrounding town center)
• Venue: Imamiya Shrine and the streets of the parish towns
• Timing: The second Saturday and Sunday of October each year (usually two days)
• Access: A short walk from the "Kubocho" bus stop, reached by bus from in front of JR Kanuma Station (Nikko Line) or Shin-Kanuma Station (Tobu Nikko Line)
• Viewing: The procession and Buttsuke in the town center can be viewed free of charge. It is advisable to confirm the schedule in advance with Kanuma City or the tourism association
• Preservation Body / Inquiries: Kanuma Imamiya Tsukematsuri Preservation Association / Kanuma City Tourism Association

Nearby Attractions

Kanuma City has a history as a post town on the Reiheishi Road leading to Nikko, and old townscapes and merchant houses remain in the town center. Imamiya Shrine, which serves as the base of the festival, is located in the heart of the city, and visitors can follow the float procession while strolling the surrounding area.

Kanuma is known throughout Japan as a center of woodworking and joinery, represented by "Kanuma kumiko" latticework, and it continues to convey the craft culture that underlies the float carvings. Within the city there are opportunities to encounter the industries and crafts related to woodworking, offering a clue to a deeper appreciation of the carved floats.

Kanuma City also adjoins Nikko City, with good access to the World Heritage shrines and temples of Nikko. By timing a visit to the festival, one can plan an itinerary combining the Kanuma autumn festival with sightseeing in Nikko. Nature-rich recreation areas are also scattered nearby, providing an environment well suited to the autumn travel season.

Related Information

• Month: October (second Saturday and Sunday)
• Location: Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture, Kanto region
• Origins: Earliest documentary record in 1780 (An'ei 9); developed into carved floats during the Bunsei and Tenpo eras; present form established around 1882 (Meiji 15)
• Scale: About twenty carved floats offered by roughly twenty-seven parish towns
• Cultural Property Designation: Nationally Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property (2003, Heisei 15); inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list of "Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals in Japan" (2016, Heisei 28)
• Preservation Body: Kanuma Imamiya Tsukematsuri Preservation Association

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