Festivals
Festivals in Murakami
Nothing brings the people of Murakami together quite like a traditional festival. These annual celebrations are both religious rites with centuries of history and occasions when families, friends, and neighbors join hands to create events expressing local pride and heritage.
Three festivals take place in the city between July and October. Each one has distinct origins and meanings, but they share a striking feature: 5-meter-high, elaborately decorated floats called oshagiri that are pulled through the streets by enthusiastic groups in colorful happi coats.
Murakami Taisai Festival (July 6th and 7th)
The biggest event of the year in Murakami is the Murakami Taisai. The grand celebration takes place on July 6 and 7 and is noted for the parade on the second day, in which priests from Senami Haguro Shrine carry three portable shrines (mikoshi) around the former castle town. They are followed by a procession of 19 two-wheeled oshagiri floats. Each float represents one of the merchant districts of the old castle town and is crewed by residents of its home neighborhood.
The origins of the festival can be traced back to 1633, when Senami Haguro Shrine was moved to its present site at the edge of the castle town. Hori Naoyori (1577–1639), lord of the Murakami domain, had the shrine moved from beneath his recently completed hilltop castle because he thought it inauspicious to look down on a dwelling of deities. As priests carried the deities to their new home in mikoshi, the townspeople followed, pulling carts they had borrowed from the castle and beating drums loaded onto them.
A reenactment of this procession is the highlight of the Murakami Taisai, with the oshagiri floats providing eye-catching substitutes for the drum-laden carts. All 19 floats have two stories: a lower level where children beat drums and small gongs in the shape of a deep plate, and an upper story fitted with a statue or other ornament that is considered a seat for the neighborhood’s guardian deity. Most floats are followed by a group of flute players whose tunes complement the rhythmic melodies of the drums and gongs. The floats are called oshagiri in reference to this music, known as shagiri.
Many of the floats are decorated with gold leaf and carvings lacquered in red or black. On some oshagiri, the main ornament on the second story symbolizes the neighborhood the float represents. One example is the float of the Sakanamachi fish-trading district, which has a statue of Ebisu, the patron deity of fishermen, riding on a red fish. Others have a more general auspicious motif, such as a mythological being or a miniature reproduction of a famous religious site.
On the first day of the festival, the floats are pulled around their respective neighborhoods in a rehearsal of sorts. Early in the morning of the second day, they are moved to Senami Haguro Shrine, the departure point for the procession, which begins around 8 a.m. The procession stops for a midday break after traversing the town, and the oshagiri are parked along a central street in the Sakanamachi district. From 6:30 p.m., the crews pull the floats, now illuminated with traditional-style lanterns, back to their home districts, concluding the festival.
Except for the festival days, three of the floats can be viewed at the Oshagiri Kaikan museum, which provides background on the history of Murakami’s festivals. The Murakami Taisai has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Senami Taisai Festival (September 3rd and 4th)
The Senami Taisai is a festival of Senami Shrine in the seaside district of the same name, which was traditionally the main port of the Murakami castle town. The festival is conducted to pray for the prosperity of the district, especially luck at sea. Mikoshi and carts mounted with drums are paraded through the streets, followed by five oshagiri floats. Some of these are fitted with sacred ornaments in the shape of boats in reference to a mythical voyage undertaken by one of the deities honored at Senami Shrine. The festival is held on September 3 and 4.
Iwafune Taisai Festival (October 18th and 19th)
The people of the port town of Iwafune express their gratitude to the deities for the year’s catch and harvest by celebrating the Iwafune Taisai on October 18 and 19. Groups composed mostly of young men pull nine oshagiri floats through the town’s narrow streets. Toward the end of the festival, each group stops its float momentarily to address the deities by performing a spirited song to the beat of a drum. These songs, known as kiyari, were inspired by the rhythmic chants of fishermen hauling in their catch and embody the maritime spirit of Iwafune.
Float from Murakami Taisai is displayed throughout the year.
At Oshagiri Kaikan (Murakami History Museum), you can see the float used in Murakami Taisai all the time.
On the second floor, swords and armors are displayed.
Oshagiri Kaikan (Murakami History Museum)
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There are many other festivals
Ohsudonoh
(April 3rd)
Kaguramai, Shishiodori
(Early July to late August)
Murakami City Fireworks Festival at the clear stream Arakawa River
(The first Friday and Saturday in August)
Iwafune Tanabata Festival
(August 6th)
Murakami Tanabata Festival
(August 16th and 17th)
Shioya Taisai
(September 20th)
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