Ōme Grand Festival

Overview

The Ome Grand Festival (Ome Taisai) is the annual festival of Sumiyoshi Shrine, enshrined along the Ome Kaido road in Ome City, Tokyo, and is the largest festival in Ome, held on May 2 and 3 each year. Boasting a history and tradition of more than five hundred years, it is widely known as a spring festival representative of the western part of Tokyo, in which twelve neighborhoods pull gorgeous floats in procession along the old Ome Kaido. As a procession-type festival in the lineage of the Edo tenka matsuri, it colors the retro townscape with liveliness and wraps the Ome of the Golden Week holidays in heat.

The greatest highlight of this festival is the seriai, the competitive encounter, when float meets float. The way the floats pass one another while competing in their festival music is full of power, and at night floats lit by lanterns strike up the kenka-bayashi, the quarrel music, in a contest. With the floats that each town takes pride in, and the float puppets made by the master puppeteers of Edo that adorn them, this festival, full of things to see, draws many spectators not only from the locality but from all over Tokyo.

History and Origins

Sumiyoshi Shrine, the setting of the Ome Grand Festival, is the guardian shrine of the Ome post town, located along the Ome Kaido, and it is said to have been founded in 1369 by inviting the deity from Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka. Ome is a land that flourished from ancient times as a post town on the Ome Kaido, and Sumiyoshi Shrine was a central presence drawing the faith of the people of the post town. As the annual festival of this venerable shrine, the Ome Grand Festival has walked a long history.

The beginning of the festival itself is said to trace back to 1513, in the Warring States period. In that year, it is said that the villagers of Ome renovated the worship hall of Sumiyoshi Shrine, and in celebration the five parishioner towns, that is the present Sumie-cho, Hon-cho, Naka-cho, Kami-cho, and Morishita-cho, held a festival, which is regarded as the origin of the Ome Grand Festival. Born of the joy of people celebrating the milestone of the shrine's renovation, the festival has been handed down ever since for more than five hundred years.

Beginning at first as the festival of the five parishioner towns, the Ome Grand Festival increased its participating towns and expanded in scale over the ages. At present, twelve neighborhoods take part in the festival, each pulling the float it takes pride in. Developing as a procession-type festival in the lineage of the Edo tenka matsuri, this festival has become a precious event that conveys the essence of Edo culture to this day.

The float puppets that adorn the floats of each town are designated tangible folk cultural properties of Ome City, and among them are included some made by the master puppeteers of Edo. From the figure of Empress Jingu setting out for war on the Sumie-cho float, each town displays ingenuity in puppets and designs taking as their themes their own histories and legends, and it is only at the time of the Ome Grand Festival that one can see all these float puppets together. The floats and puppets handed down in each town are carefully preserved as the pride of the people of Ome.

Highlights

The Procession of Twelve Floats The symbol of the Ome Grand Festival is the twelve gorgeous floats parading along the old Ome Kaido. Each town pulls the float it takes pride in, and the carvings and the decoration of the hangings are contrived with ingenuity on each one. The sight of the floats coming and going against the backdrop of the retro townscape is splendid, and walking while comparing them is one of the great pleasures of the festival.

The Competitive Encounter of the Floats The greatest spectacle of this festival is the seriai, the competitive encounter, when float meets float, called locally the hikkawase. The way passing floats compete in their festival music and vie fiercely with one another is full of power. This encounter, in which the willpower and pride of the towns collide, is the essence of the Ome Grand Festival that greatly excites the spectators.

The Quarrel Music and Contest at Night When night falls, lanterns are lit on the floats, showing an expression different from the day and full of fantasy. At the eve festival, floats clad in light strike up the kenka-bayashi, the quarrel music, in a contest, and the fierce exchange of music resounds along the nighttime Ome Kaido. The heated and splendid nighttime scene, different again from the daytime procession, is an appeal unique to this festival.

Float Puppets by the Master Puppeteers of Edo The float puppets that adorn the floats of each town are precious items designated tangible folk cultural properties of Ome City. Among them are masterpieces by the master puppeteers of Edo, and each town displays ingenuity in its theme, such as the figure of Empress Jingu setting out for war on the Sumie-cho float. It is only at the time of the Ome Grand Festival that one can see these float puppets all at once, and one can savor the essence of history and art up close.

Tekomai and Kiyari The hyoshigi clappers and tekomai dancers who lead the floats in splendid costumes, and the kiyari songs sung in stylish attire by the townspeople, are also highlights of the Ome Grand Festival. These gestures and songs, inheriting the festival culture of Edo, add dignity and feeling to the festival. Not only the power of the floats but also the atmosphere of such traditional performing arts deepens the appeal of this festival.

The Bustle of the Festival Market During the festival, a festival market with many stalls lined up is held along the Ome Kaido, and the whole town is wrapped in the lively air of the festival. Strolling among the stalls while watching the float procession is a pleasure unique to the Ome Grand Festival. One can fully enjoy a moment of the Golden Week holidays amid a festival of tradition and the bustle of the town.

Access and Information

• Location: Ome City, Tokyo
• Venue: Along the old Ome Kaido (Sumiyoshi Shrine and others)
• Dates: May 2 (eve festival) and May 3 (main festival) each year
• Floats: Twelve neighborhoods pull floats
• Access: From Ome Station on the JR Ome Line to the venue area (Sumiyoshi Shrine is about a three-minute walk from Ome Station)
• Organizer and inquiries: Ome Grand Festival Executive Committee and Sumiyoshi Shrine

Around the Area

Sumiyoshi Shrine, the setting of the festival, is the guardian shrine of the Ome post town, invited from Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka, and is a venerable old shrine said to have been founded in 1369. With good access, about a three-minute walk from JR Ome Station, one can visit it even outside the festival days and touch the center of Ome's history and faith.

Ome City is also a tourist town known for its Showa-retro townscape. Along the old Ome Kaido remain shops and buildings with a somewhat nostalgic atmosphere, cherished by people who enjoy strolling. Together with festival viewing, walking slowly through the retro townscape allows one to savor the distinctive feeling unique to Ome.

Ome City is located in the upper reaches of the Tama River, and around it spread the rich nature of Mount Mitake and Okutama. It is also popular as a natural recreation area close to the city center, offering hiking, river play, and hot springs. Visiting in the season of the Ome Grand Festival, one can fully enjoy the nature of Tama and the historic townscape, together with the splendor of a festival boasting five hundred years of tradition.

Related Information

• Month: May (spring)
• Prefecture and region: Ome City, Tokyo, Tama region
• Shrine: Sumiyoshi Shrine (guardian shrine of the Ome post town, founded in 1369)
• Origins: Begun in 1513 when the five parishioner towns celebrated the renovation of the Sumiyoshi Shrine worship hall; a history of more than five hundred years
• Features: The procession of the floats of twelve towns and the competitive encounter (hikkawase); float puppets designated tangible folk cultural properties of Ome City

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