Water-Splashing Festival Brings Tokyo Streets To Life
Water drenched Tokyo’s streets on Sunday as hundreds joined the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival, with neighbourhood teams carrying dozens of mikoshi shrines in one of Japan’s great Edo traditions, held every three years.
Footage shows crowds lining the streets to photograph elaborately decorated rare mikoshi before teams of shrine bearers carry them through Tokyo to the sound of drums and chanting.
Spectators throw buckets of water over the marching participants as they parade through the streets, while others cheer, applaud and watch the shrines being lifted high during the procession.
Prayers, Mikoshi And A Splash Of Water
Participant Takashi Akahane said people pray for good health, longevity and prosperity for their families, explaining that mikoshi are believed to embody deities and are carried collectively by the community.
“At Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, the mikoshi, or portable shrine, is carried for this purpose. It is believed to embody the deity itself, a divine presence capable of granting wishes, and the community comes together to carry it,” he said.
Explaining the festival’s signature tradition, Akahane said water is sprinkled to help participants stay cool and prevent heatstroke, adding that large crowds had gathered this year to see the rare mikoshi shrine.
“It was displayed only once after it was made and is said to require a thousand people to carry. Although it was brought out of the shrine this time, it is simply too heavy to shoulder, so it remains on display as people gather to celebrate,” he added.
A 54-Mikoshi Edo Tradition
Also known as the Mizukake Matsuri, or Water-Splashing Festival, the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival dates back to 1642 and preserves the vibrant traditions of Tokyo’s Edo period.
Unlike most Shinto festivals, spectators are encouraged to douse shrine bearers with water, a gesture that symbolises purification while offering relief from the intense August heat.
This year’s grand procession brought together 54 mikoshi from neighbourhoods across the Fukagawa district for an eight-kilometre procession through the city.
The festival’s home, Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, is also home to Japan’s largest mikoshi, a 4.5-tonne portable shrine adorned with precious stones that remains on display because of its immense weight, underscoring the enduring cultural significance of one of Tokyo’s most celebrated summer traditions.
Article by Viory:
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