Event Report] Senzaki Gion Festival

Last updated:

Aug 6, 2016
About the writer:

Nagato Tourism Convention Association

Tuesday, July 26, 2016 Senzaki Gion Festival Event Report

Senzaki, Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is an old fishing village located on the Japan Sea coast. Every year, the Senzaki Gion Festival is held at Yasaka Shrine in Senzaki. This festival is said to be one of the three major festivals of Otsu, along with the Fukagawa "Akasaki Festival" and the Aburaya "Hitomaru Festival," and has a long tradition.On the first day, the portable shrine and floats go from Yasaka Shrine to Kogion and parade through the town. On the last day of the festival, the portable shrine and floats return from Kogion to Yasaka Shrine! At 3:30 p.m., we finally depart from Kogion.

The portable shrines go around to each house and give a prayer of congratulation.

Then, after the portable shrine, the floats are now pulled through the parade.

What a surprise, the floats are accompanied by a musical band & cute dancers! The musical band plays all the time while the float is moving. The live flutes and drums create a great atmosphere. Young women have joined this year and are trying to carry on and preserve this tradition.

Then, when the floats stop, the cute dancers begin their dance!

These are little dancers from kindergarten to elementary school! They danced prettily to the shamisen music. Everyone was riveted by these little dancers! The retro atmosphere of the Misuzu Street was a beautiful backdrop for this event. Photographers were flocking to the beautiful scenery as if they had stepped back in time! The dancing of the little dancers will also be performed at the " Misuzu Tanabata Bamboo Festival" on August 6, 2016, so if you missed it, please come and see it! And to top it all off, the float is made of logs! The float makes a squeaking sound, and since it does not run in a straight line, we have to pull it from the front, push it from the back, or push it from the side, as instructed by the "saifuri" (a Japanese warrior in charge of the festival)!

After this, the dancers will pass through Senzaki Station and finally head for Yasaka Shrine, a long festival that takes about four to five hours, so the dancers will be sweating.

The town of Senzaki was thus lively until late at night!