UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Nagahama Hikiyama Festival

A about 450 years ago, when Hideyoshi Toyotomi, a warlord of those days, constructed a castle and formed the castle compounds of Nagahama, the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival began. At that time, because of countless wars, many shrines and temples were severely damaged and as well as the town. In 1572, after the Azai clan was brought downd, Nobunaga Oda commanded Hideyoshi to take charge of Nagahama in their stead. Henceforth, he made great efforts to improve the town’s situation, creating new shrines and temples and helping to reconstruct the town.

Years later, he had a baby boy. He was overjoyed and presented alluvial gold to the people of Nagahama in celebration. They made some parade floats called hikiyama using the gold, and every time the new religious festival was held at Hachiman Shrine, people worked together in pulling ropes to move the hikiyamas. It is said that this was the beginning of the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival.

Nowadays, the festival is very famous for kodomokabuki, when 5 to 12-year-old boys perform traditional kabuki plays on the hikiyama floats. Kodomokabuki, perhaps the most anticipated event of the 9 days festival, requires several months of preparation and the cooperation of many people in Nagahama. Nobody knows when kodomoKabuki was first performed at the festival, but historical records show that it had already become tradition in 1772.

Nagahama has developed as a commercial town since Hideyoshi’s reign, and, about 200 years ago, famous architects did their finest work and built the twelve beautiful hikiyamas that are still used today. It is no exaggeration to say that the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival, so gorgeous and luxurious, is the best festival in Japan.