Taiko Matsuri

Early autumn is the time of the Taiko Matsuri in northern Shikoku. Matsuri means festival and there are all kinds of festivals throughout Japan. I've been to a few and they are always huge parades, full of people and really fun. Matsuri are very popular throughout Japan, from local matsuri that take over an entire town to famous matsuri that people will travel from all over Japan to attend.

All the matsuri I have been to involve taiko. Taiko are large drums used in many Japanese events and performances. As Jason and I can attest from our visit to the Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori two years ago, they can get quite huge. The Nebuta Matsuri was a night festival with giant floats made almost entirely of paper and lit up from the inside, interspersed with giant taiko like the one below:


Taiko matsuri take place all over the northern coast of Shikoku. They start in the east and gradually make their way west town by town, but they only occur in towns that border the Seto Inland Sea, and they don't take place on Honshu, either. Taiko matsuri do involve moderately large drums, but rather than display these instruments in their full magnificence, they are placed inside giant floats. These floats are made of wood and decorated with an assortment of embroided gold dragons, lacquer, and a sort of carriage at the top, where 4 fine local fellows get to sit. 4 more fine fellows get to stand on wooden poles joined to the base of the float and egg on the scores of men who carry these floats, all a little drunk but admirably shouldering the weight of a float, a drum and drummer, and 8 guys. Since this is probably difficult to imagine, here's a picture:


My first Taiko Matsuri experience was on 10/18 in Niihama, a larger town about 30 minutes away. Niihama's matsuri is known for being a good deal rowdier than most. After parading around as usual, the floats actually fight each other. In past years these fights were so severe that someone died every few years, but now the police are involved, so people only get injured. We didn't get to see much of the fighting, which may have been just as well, but we did get to see the heart of the event, which is each group's attempt to hold the float up in their hands for a certain amount of time, or to make the float "jump" by lifting it up and down repeatedly. This is all done to the tune of of the leaders (standing on the wooden poles) shouting "so...rya eiya eiya yoisa!!!" which doesn't mean anything but sounds really good! Each float represents a section of town, so there's a lot of neighborhood pride and encouragement from different factions within the crowd.


My Japanese teacher, Reiko Kaji, her husband Nobuhiko Kaji, and their 9-year-old grandson Ryotaro took me and my friend Safiyya to the Niihama Taiko Matsuri. Reiko-san, looking dignified as always, was delighted to meet Safiyya and practice her English while learning about Safiyya's background. Nobuhiko-san, born and bred in the area, was ecstatic to see the matsuri itself, and he wasn't the only one. Apparently the people of Niihama are so obsessed with their matsuri that folks who have moved to other parts of Japan will come back for the taiko matsuri even if they don't come back for New Years or Obon, which is when most Japanese people return to their hometowns.


The same sort of festival occurs in both Kawanoe and Mishima, the two parts of my town in which I live and teach. Some people get a day off of work to attend one of the matsuri, and the schools usually get a day or two off as well. I didn't get to see much of the Kawanoe Matsuri due to my schedule that week and a nasty cold, but I heard drumming and the sounds of joy from my apartment. However, I was able to watch the Mishima Matsuri two days in a row thanks to Reiko-san, who lives near the center of Mishima. We were able to watch from an elevated view on the second and third floor of a shop right on the main street! On Thursday, 10/22, we watched the floats go by and the guys do their best to hold the floats up for as long as possible in front of the mayor's pavilion. Many of my students from Higashi-chu were in attendence, so I waved at them and received enthusiastic waves in return (girls), quick nods (boys), and confused stares followed by eventual recognition (well, you can't win them all, eh?).


On Friday, 10/23, Mishima holds their festival a second time, and at night. The parade of floats was much the same as before, but the floats themselves were all lit up in one way or another and look gorgeous. There's even more of a festival feel to the night parade, and I wouldn't be surprised if the fellows straining under the floats had fortified themselves was some extra drinks! The spectators, while also drinking, indulged themselves with greater sustenance, and the food stands were doing brisk business. The Kaji family and I enjoyed hotcakes, French fries and candy covered strawberries and grapes. Local Nate and his sister Beth joined us as well, so it was quite a party at the second floor viewpoint!