Nada no kenka matsuri

Overview

The Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival) is the autumn grand festival of Matsubara Hachiman Shrine in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, held every year on October 14 and 15. Also called the Nada Festival, it is famous for the rite of vigorously colliding three mikoshi (portable shrines) and for the spirited jostling of seven gorgeously decorated yatai floats. The roughness of slamming the mikoshi together has earned it the name "fighting festival," and it draws well over a hundred thousand spectators across its two days.

The festival unfolds over two days, the eve festival (yoimiya) on the 14th and the main festival (hongu) on the 15th. The sight of men in white garments and happi coats hoisting heavy mikoshi and floats is a defining image of autumn in the Banshu region, combining the fierce ritual of the mikoshi clash with the splendor of the float jostling.

History and Origins

The Nada no Kenka Matsuri has long been held as the autumn grand festival of Matsubara Hachiman Shrine. The shrine sits in the Nada district of eastern Himeji City and has been supported by the parishioners of the former seven villages, namely Higashiyama, Koba, Matsubara, Yaka, Usazaki, Nakamura, and Mega. Each village maintains its own float, and a system of rotating the central role of the festival, called the neriban (the year's duty village), has been handed down. Because there are seven villages, the neriban role comes around once every seven years, and the village serving it carries the great responsibility of bearing the mikoshi, making it a year of special significance prepared for over several years.

The three mikoshi carried at the festival are called Ichi-no-maru, Ni-no-maru, and San-no-maru, and are borne by the neriban village of that year. The rite of colliding the mikoshi is said to console the deity and to draw down greater divine power, and the more fiercely they collide, the more it is believed to please the gods. The float jostling and the lion-dance forms unique to each village have been passed down over generations, and the festival functions as an occasion that displays the unity and pride of the community.

Highlights

The greatest highlight is the collision of the three mikoshi held on the main festival day at the Hirobatake jostling ground at the foot of Otabiyama. The rite in which parishioners slam together the Ichi-no-maru, Ni-no-maru, and San-no-maru mikoshi is overwhelming in its force and displays the roughness befitting the name "fighting festival." The belief that colliding the mikoshi until they break constitutes service to the deity is a faith unique to this festival, and the bearers pour a year of training into this single moment.

Another highlight is the jostling of the seven floats adorned with golden decorations and lavish carvings. The sight of many bearers lifting the heavy floats high and parading in unison is both gorgeous and spirited. On the main day, the lion float departs Matsubara Hachiman Shrine in the early morning and proceeds toward Otabiyama, purifying the route along the way. From the eve festival onward, the floats and lion dances of each village appear, and the heat of the festival gradually builds across the two days.

Event Information and Access

The Nada no Kenka Matsuri is held every year on October 14 (eve festival) and 15 (main festival) at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine and its surroundings in Himeji City, Hyogo. On the main day, the mikoshi collision and float jostling take place at the Hirobatake jostling ground at the foot of Otabiyama, where large tiered spectator stands are set up using the slope.

Matsubara Hachiman Shrine is within walking distance of Shirahama-no-miya Station on the Sanyo Electric Railway and is close to central Himeji. Large-scale traffic restrictions are in place around the venue on festival days, and crowds are heavy, so use of public transport is recommended.

Nearby Attractions

Himeji City is a castle town home to Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Treasure, whose elegant white-plastered keep draws many visitors from Japan and abroad. The Nada district, where Matsubara Hachiman Shrine stands, faces the Seto Inland Sea, offering coastal scenery as well. Visiting Himeji Castle and the castle town streets together with the festival allows a deeper encounter with the history and culture of the Banshu region.

Related Information

• Month held: October (14th eve festival, 15th main festival)
• Prefecture: Hyogo
• Location: Himeji City (Matsubara Hachiman Shrine, Hirobatake ground at Otabiyama, etc.)
• Type: autumn grand festival (fighting festival)
• Main events: collision of three mikoshi (Ichi-no-maru, Ni-no-maru, San-no-maru), jostling of seven floats, lion dance
• Parishioners: the former seven Nada villages (neriban duty rotates once every seven years)
• Nearby: Himeji Castle (UNESCO World Heritage Site, National Treasure)

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