Kawagoe Hikawa Festival
kawagoe festival officially named kawagoe hikawa festival 川越氷川祭 kawagoe hikawa matsuri traditional japanese festival held annually third weekend october kawagoe city saitama prefecture kawagoes biggest event festival year history attracts around one million tourist two day grand pageant festival take place castle town kawagoe including old storehouse zone called kurazukuri zone festival designated national important intangible folk cultural property title kawagoe hikawa festival float event festival put unesco intangible cultural heritage list one yama hoko yatai float festival japan biggest highlight kawagoe festival hikkawase musical battle among float member different neighborhood put respective festival float walk town district festival float different neighborhood meet intersection spot make turn float stage face begin battle performing dance music called ohayashi ohayashi musical accompaniment played five musician namely flute large drum small drum handbell together dancer mask fox lion play great performance dancing stage float music dance grow intensity float puller audience shout encouragement performer evening festival reach climax float puller hold lantern illuminate festival float beautifully main attraction festival large fleet gorgeous float float kept neighborhood town actually take part festival float two remarkable feature one edo type doubledecked float topped doll lower level small decorated festival stage fitted roof upper level platform doll platform doll displayed like movable manually operated elevator doll upper level stored inside lower level bunting behind stage changing total height doll origin traditional japanese culture noh play folk story modeled historical figure float often called name figure doll modeled feature stage revolve ° horizontally separately wheel intended make possible stage face float different neighborhood happen meet middle festival enjoy musical battle called hikkawase said kawagoe festival date back middle th century lord kawagoe domain matsudaira nobutsuna donated portable shrine festivalrelated item hikawa shrine originally one festival called reitaisai show appreciation good harvest since reitaisai could joined shrine priest lord concerned town lacked big festival donation prompted shrine hold another festival called jinkosaii soon joined neighborhood shrine today kawagoe festival consists jinkosai town people festival following jinkosai festival gradually developed incorporated style festival edo sanno festival kanda festival festival called tenka matsuri sponsored attended shōgun ruler japan edo period appealing kawagoe merchant success boat transport shingashi river linked edo made kawagoe merchant prosper gave opportunity see latest trend edo kawagoe merchant amazed splendor size tenka matsuri tried introduce edo style kawagoe festival early th century asked craftmen made float tenka matsuri make type float kawagoe festival doubledecked float used tenka matsuri type doubledecked float introduced kawagoe festival tenka matsuri needed show float shōgun sponsor festival going castle gate high enough lowering height collapse shōgun government festival float saw decline tokyo kawagoe festival developed district kawagoe even made new float revolving stage adopted ohayashi performance world war ii neighborhood original neighborhood started join festival number participating neighborhood increasing today float kept town owned neighborhood one owned kawagoe city