Seihaku Festival

Overview

The Seihaku Festival (Seihakusai) is the grand annual festival of Otokonushi Shrine, also known as Sanno Shrine, in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and is known as the most magnificent festival of the Noto region. Held in May when the young leaves come into bud, its name derives from the ritual of offering shinsen, food offerings to the deities, placed upon leaves of the aogashiwa, the blue oak. Against a backdrop of deep history, it is a major event coloring the spring of Nanao, in which the faith and festival culture that the people of Noto have preserved and handed down are concentrated.

The greatest stars of this festival are the dekayama, the largest festival floats in Japan. These enormous floats, shaped like an inverted fan, stand about twelve meters tall, weigh about twenty tons, and have wheels roughly two meters in diameter. Three of them are pulled through the narrow alleys of central Nanao. Their overwhelming size and the bold turning of the floats at intersections, with the wheels grinding against the ground, astonish all who see them. The Float Event of the Seihaku Festival is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the nation, and in 2016 it was also inscribed as one of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage entries of Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals, making it a float festival that ranks among the very finest in Japan in both name and substance.

History and Origins

The origins of the Seihaku Festival trace back to the Heian period. According to tradition, it began in the fourth year of the Tengen era, 981, when Minamoto no Shitago, the provincial governor of Noto, established this festival as the festival of Noto Province. This festival, with a history spanning more than a thousand years, conveys to this day the prestige of Otokonushi Shrine, which may be called the guardian shrine of the entire province of Noto, and it has long been revered as the center of local faith.

The name of the festival derives from an ancient ritual of offering shinsen to the deities placed upon leaves of the blue oak. In this act of using fresh green oak leaves as vessels to present offerings to the gods, there are contained prayers for a rich harvest and gratitude toward nature, telling us that the essence of the festival lies in its rites. Behind the splendid float procession, such solemn rituals have been handed down without interruption.

The huge floats called dekayama, the symbols of the festival, are said to have first been pulled in the fifth year of the Bunmei era, 1473. In other words, to the rituals that began in the Heian period, a grand float event was added in the Muromachi period, and the form of the festival close to what it is today was shaped. Ever since, the dekayama have been maintained and rebuilt by the townspeople of Nanao, preserved and handed down through the generations.

Over its long history, the Seihaku Festival has continued to develop as a festival representative of Noto. It has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the nation as the Float Event of the Seihaku Festival, and in 2016 it was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list together with the float festivals of Japan, so that its cultural value is highly esteemed both at home and abroad. As one of the UNESCO-listed festivals representing the Hietsuno region, it is a source of pride for Noto.

Highlights

The Largest Floats in Japan, the Dekayama The symbol of the Seihaku Festival is the dekayama, the largest festival floats in Japan, reaching about twelve meters in height and about twenty tons in weight. They have a distinctive shape that widens toward the top like an inverted fan, and their wheels alone are about two meters in diameter. The sight of three of these gigantic floats making their way through central Nanao is of unrivaled power, and all who see them for the first time are overwhelmed by their size.

The Bold Turning of the Floats The tsuji-mawashi, in which the dekayama advancing through narrow alleys change direction at intersections, is the greatest spectacle of this festival. The way the enormous wheels grind and a great number of pullers combine their strength to rotate a twenty-ton float is full of tension and power. The skill and unity required to handle such a colossal body in the narrow streets draw great cheers from the spectators.

Kabuki Puppet Decorations On the upper tier of each dekayama, puppets depicting famous scenes of kabuki, arranged with fresh ingenuity each year, are displayed. The gorgeous puppet decorations add splendor to the power of the huge floats, fashioning each float into a kind of moving stage. The choice of theme for the puppets is one of the pleasures of the festival.

The Ritual of the Blue Oak The ritual that gives the festival its name, offering shinsen placed upon leaves of the blue oak, is also a highlight not to be missed. In contrast to the flamboyant float procession, this quiet and solemn ritual conveys to this day that the Seihaku Festival is originally a festival of prayer to the gods. It is a scene where one can touch the faith at the root of the festival.

The Gathering of Three Dekayama The scene in which the three dekayama gather together, such as in the precincts of Otokonushi Shrine, is one of the highlights of the festival. The grand sight of three of Japan's largest floats lined up is breathtaking, and many spectators gather to fix that moment in their memory. It is a resplendent scene in which the spirit of the neighborhoods that bear each float comes together in one place.

A Herald of Spring in Noto In May, when the young leaves bud, Nanao, the central city of the Noto Peninsula, is at its liveliest of the whole year with this festival. The music echoing through the town, the shouts of the pullers, and the heat of the gathered crowds announce the full arrival of spring in Noto. This festival, celebrated by the entire community, has become a symbol of the pride and unity of the people of Nanao.

Access and Information

• Location: Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture
• Venue: The center of the Nanao urban area (Otokonushi Shrine and others)
• Dates: A period centered on May 3 to 5 each year
• Floats: Three dekayama (about twelve meters tall, about twenty tons, wheels about two meters in diameter)
• Access: Within walking distance from JR Nanao Station on the Nanao Line to the venue
• Organizer and inquiries: Nanao City (Exchange Promotion Division)

Around the Area

Otokonushi Shrine (Sanno Shrine), the setting of the festival, is an old shrine representative of the province of Noto, and as the place of origin of the Seihaku Festival one can here reflect upon its history. Even outside the festival period, it is worth visiting this shrine with its history spanning more than a thousand years and, in its quiet precincts, touching the depth of Noto's faith.

Nanao City is the central city of the Noto Peninsula, and Wakura Onsen, close to the urban area, is known as one of the finest hot springs of the Hokuriku region. Together with festival viewing, relaxing at a hot spring inn overlooking the sea is one of the joys of a journey through Noto. The fresh seafood of Nanao Bay and Nanao butsudan, the traditional Buddhist altars of Noto, also enrich the pleasures of a visit to this land.

Nanao is also the gateway to Noto tourism, and around it spread scenic places unique to the Noto Peninsula, such as Notojima Island and Mitsukejima Rock. Visiting Noto in the season of the Seihaku Festival, one can fully savor the power of a festival with Japan's largest floats, together with the appeal of a Noto blessed with rich nature and fine food.

Related Information

• Month: May (spring)
• Prefecture and region: Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Noto region
• Origins: Said to have been established by Minamoto no Shitago, governor of Noto, in the fourth year of the Tengen era, 981; the floats date from the fifth year of the Bunmei era, 1473
• Cultural property designation: The Float Event of the Seihaku Festival, an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the nation
• International recognition: Inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list as part of Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals in 2016

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