With the arrival of spring, the desire to travel increases. At the beginning of April, after winter, I had just been to a remote island in Okinawa, but when I was thinking of going somewhere next week, I was invited to visit the "Furukawa Festival" in Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, which is familiar to me.
When I was a student, I knew that my friends would return to their hometowns when the festival in their hometown approached. It was strange and envious that my friend, who usually doesn't talk much about his hometown, would return to his hometown in a hurry. Since he himself lived in a residential area with no history on the land, there were no traditional local festivals nearby, and the festival was the Bon Odori held in the playground of an elementary school.
Even now that travel is close to me, I never went out for the purpose of festivals. Due to the nature of my work, I often have the opportunity to ask about festivals, but perhaps because I have no experience, it depends on the person. However, since the Furukawa Festival is held in my favorite Furukawa, I thought that I had become more positive about visiting the festival, or that I had an excuse to go to Furukawa.
About Hida Furukawa Festival
The "Furukawa Festival" is an annual festival at the Keta Wakamiya Shrine in Furukawa-cho, Hida City, and is held on April 19 and 20 every year. It has high historical and tourist value, and is registered as a National Important Intangible Cultural Property and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Therefore, it is a big festival that attracts about 30,000 tourists from Japan and abroad.
The Furukawa Festival begins with a "mikoshi procession" that begins with a Shinto ceremony on the morning of the first day, a "food stall towing procession" in each town, and a famous "Kishi Taiko" in the evening. On the second day, food stalls from each town gather for the "Yatai Hikiki" event, and for the finale, the mikoshi is returned to the Keta Wakamiya Shrine. For tourists, it is advertised as a "kishi drum" for movement and a "stall procession" for stillness. This year, the main attraction of the festival, Kishi Taiko, will be held for the first time in four years, but from the viewpoint of preventing corona infection, I heard that it will be held with a reduced content such as the battle of the tsuki drum against the Kishi drum and the procession parade.
In this article, I would like to introduce a person who had no connection with the festival who was moved by the "Furukawa Festival" and the relationship between the people of the area and the festival that I glimpsed. For more information on the history and composition of the Furukawa Festival, Hida Furukawa Festival Official Website is easy to understand.
Through this article, I hope that people who have nothing to do with the festival will pay attention to the "Furukawa Festival" next year, as well as the festivals that will be revived in various places this year.
To get to Hida Furukawa, we recommend "from above"
To get to Hida Furukawa, take the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, then transfer to the JR Takayama Line via Toyama Station from the top or Nagoya Station from the bottom, and head for Hida Furukawa Station. You will have to choose according to the departure time and preference, but the time required is short, and the scenery from the window and the atmosphere inside the car will be superior from the top. It may be a surprising route, but it's the best one since the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened in 2015.
I arrived at Hida Furukawa Station around 2:30 p.m., and when I left the station building, I felt like I was back. I've been to Furukawa six or seven times. However, on this day, the feeling was different. The purpose of the festival is the Furukawa Festival, and the road leading to the festival square is lined with palms, and on the day of the festival, it is crowded with elementary and junior high school students who leave school early, as well as tourists. The weather was good, and everyone's faces were cheerful, perhaps because of the anticipation of the festival, which was getting more exciting in the evening.
After meeting with the officials at the square, I participated in a tour of the town of the mayor of Totake Hida. I was surprised that the mayor's commentary on the Furukawa Festival seemed to be that of a senior guide. One person accompanied a group of about 20 people and gave a lecture on the festival for about two hours.
At the end of the tour around the town, we heard about the festival and sake in front of the sake brewery in Furukawa.
By the time I leave, it's starting to get dark. Personally, I like the atmosphere of the town in the evening when there are fewer tourists, but today I feel good when I see festival officials, residents, and tourists. Until yesterday, there was a distance from the festival, but I am already obsessed with the festival.
Mr. Morishita loves festivals
After that, if you stop at the tourist information center in the town, Hida Furukawa Dream Hometown Guide Association Sumio Morishita (75 years old), the chairman of the company and an active guide, was there, and we talked a little. The association is an organization that guides the townscape of Hida Furukawa and teaches about its history and lifestyle culture. In the middle of the guide, he suddenly stops at a place where he would normally pass by, points his finger and says, "That's it," and introduces the techniques of Hida craftsmen.
Mr. Morishita told me about the history of the Furukawa Festival and the cultural value of the food stalls. When asked about Furukawa's people and festivals, he laughs, "In Furukawa, when you become an elementary school student, you are given the role of a festival, and when you grow up, you take on various roles and accept the value of the festival, and there are many people like me who still love the festival." Morishita, who has been associated with the festival for a lifetime, now plays the role of a navigator for tourists, telling them about Furukawa.
A tasty drink in a small brewery in a small town
After parting ways with Mr. Morishita, in order to boost the economy before the drums, there are craft breweries in the town. Hidano Oku Brewery There's a brewery behind a small standing bar. I guzzled 1 pint and 3 small cups for about 30 minutes in a state of almost full stomach. My companion asked me if I was still drinking, and I almost said yes, but I didn't know what was going to happen after this, so I stopped. The craft beer here was downright great. It's the perfect beer factory for the owner, Furukawa.
In fact, on my way to the beer store, I happened to enter an empty alley. This is my favorite townscape. Today, the lanterns that decorate the festival are installed, which is funny. In addition, Furukawa is not an old townscape that has been developed by some kind of ordinance. It doesn't feel like a studio space, and the town is relaxed in harmony with nature. The landscape of the town is finished by the breathing of the residents.
With the beginning of the drumming
We headed to Matsuri Square, the starting point of the Kishi Taiko Festival. In the center of the square, a crowd of men in exposed clothes gather, surrounded by residents and tourists. On this day, the age group of the area drops significantly. There are many young people from the local area. They must have taken time off from class or taken paid vacation to prepare for this day and come back.
We headed to Matsuri Square, the starting point of the Kishi Taiko Festival. In the center of the square, a crowd of men in exposed clothes gather, surrounded by residents and tourists. On this day, Furukawa's age group drops significantly. There are many young people from the local area. They must have taken time off from class or taken paid vacation to prepare for this day and come back.
Slipping through the crowd gathered in the square, I happened to stand in the perfect space in front of the drums. I feel a mysterious vibe from the clear air in front of me, and my concentration increases. Prior to the start of the Kishi Taiko Festival, a departure ceremony was held from 8 p.m., and the general priest in charge of the operation of the Kishi Taiko gave a greeting, and a celebratory song Wakamatsu-sama was performed. Then, the men erect a long pole with a small drum attached to it, climb on it, and begin to perform acrobatic "tonbo". At that moment, the chosen clan members who ride on a large drum on a tower carried by naked men begin to beat the drum. People around me shouted, "Wow! Or, what seems to be the name of the town, "Yonchome! A dashing shout is flying around. Finally, the long-awaited drumming begins!
When the drums started to move out of the square, I heard that it was canceled this year, but the men of the drums raised and attacked the drums. People around me shouted, "Go ahead! There was a voice like that, and the enthusiasm was amazing. In order to be a part of the festival, I followed the drums that went out into the town. Occasionally, the guards at the front gently pushed back.
Before coming to the festival, I never thought I would get so much adrenaline. When it comes to festivals, you watch them from the roadside, but the drums are participatory and don't have to be modest. If you have a little courage to get up and chase the drum, you will create a sense of unity.
Experience the festival custom of "calling"
It is a custom for local families to gather relatives and acquaintances on the night of the drumming ceremony and serve Hida cuisine and sake. When I entered the house I was introduced, there were many dishes lined up. There were about 10 other employees of a well-known distribution chain who had been invited. When I asked, I was told that participating in the Furukawa Festival was part of the company's training.
When you take a seat, a genuine Furukawa man pours sake from a local sake brewery in rapid succession. It's a nice custom as someone who doesn't like to keep the sky in the sky. After about 10 drinks, the train I was planning to take to Takayama, where the inn is located, had left. On a night like this, you don't have to force yourself to move. Just in case, I thought that I would not be able to catch the last train in an hour, so when I asked him if he walked to Takayama, he said that it would take about 3 hours. There was nothing I couldn't do, but I ate delicious fried chicken and wild vegetable tempura, had a drink, and as a result, I was able to get on a regular bus to Takayama after 11 pm.
* The second day will be the second part at a later date ...
