[Report (first part)] First participation in the Hida Furukawa Festival (4/19/20)
春本番の訪れとともに、旅行への気持ちが高まる。冬ごもり明けの4月初め、沖縄離島に行ったばかりだったが、来週にでもどこかに出掛けたいと考えていたところ、親しみのある岐阜県飛騨市の「古川祭」に誘われて参戦してきた。
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.
この記事では、祭りと縁がなかった人物が「古川祭」で心が揺さぶられたことや、垣間見えた地域の人と祭りの関係を紹介したい。この記事を通じて、祭りと関係がなかったような人が、来年の「古川祭」はもちろん、今年各地で復活開催される祭りに目を向けてほしい。
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 」へ乾杯しに行く。小さなスタンディングバーの奥にビール工場がある。ほぼすきっ腹状態で30分位に1パイントと小3杯をグビグビっとした。同行者にまだ飲むか聞かれ、「はい」と言いそうになるが、この後の成り行きが分からないので、止めておいた。ここのクラフトビールは実に素晴らしかった。小さな古川に町にぴったりのビール工場だ。
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.
広場に集まる群衆をすり抜けると、偶然、起し太鼓目前の絶好なスペースに立てた。目の前の澄んだ空気から神秘的なヴァイブを感じ、集中力が増してくる。起し太鼓のスタートを前に、20時から出立祭が行われ、起し太鼓の運営を担う総司があいさつし、祝い唄の若松様が披露された。
すると男衆が、付け太鼓と言われる小さな太鼓が取り付けられた長い棒を垂直に立て、それによじ登り、アクロバティックな「とんぼ」を披露し始める。その時、裸男たちが担ぐ櫓（やぐら）に載せられた、大太鼓の上に乗る選ばれし氏子が太鼓を打ち鳴らし始める。周囲から「わっしょい！わっしょい！」とか、町の名前らしき「よんちょーめ！よんちょーめ！」という威勢のよい掛け声が飛び交う。いよいよ待ちに待った起し太鼓が始まる！
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.
席に着くと、生粋の古川人が地元酒蔵の酒を矢継ぎ早に注いでくださる。空のおちょこのキープが苦手な身としてうれしい風習だ。10杯ほど飲んだところで、宿がある高山に向かうため乗る予定だった電車は出発してしまった。こんな夜は、無理に動く必要はない。念のため、1時間後の最終列車に乗れないことも考え、高山まで歩いた場合を聞くと、3時間位と言う。やれないことはないが、おいしい唐揚げと山菜の天ぷらを食べ、お酒をいただきつつ、結果的に23時過ぎの高山行きの定期バスに乗り込んだ。