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Echizen Historical Costume Parade, Fukui Spring Festival The Echizen Historical Costume Parade of Fukui / Spring Festival is held every April. People dressed up as of important figures and feudal warlords in Fukui’s history such as Yoshisada Nitta, Yoshikage Asakura, Katsuie Shibata, Hideyasu Yuki, Shungaku Matsudaira, and Lady O-Ichi, parade in the central area of Fukui. ････ |
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Mikuni Fireworks Festival Reputed to be the biggest fireworks festival in Hokuriku, Mikuni Fireworks Festival is held on August 11th at Mikuni Sunset Beach. Among the splendid fireworks, above all, those fireworks shot off from the surface of the sea are particular to this festival. Visitors from both Fukui and outside of Fukui can share a midsummer night and enjoy the････ |
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O-TA- I- KO Concert This big taiko drum festival is held at the end of August. The main attraction is the 1.6m ‘Myojin’ taiko drum played by a local group. There are also performances of professional taiko musicians and groups from all over the country. |
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Toro Nagashi (Lantern Drifting) and Great Exhibition of Fireworks These events are held at the Matsubara beach on August 16th when summer is nearly over. The view of red, blue and yellow lanterns drifting on the waves and disappearing off the coast, while huge rings of fireworks light up in the night sky, is absolutely fantastic. These colourful summer events in Tsuruga are ････ |
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Tsuruga Matsuri Festival This festival is part of a longer festival (lasting from September 2nd to September 15th) and is the annual autumn ceremony at Kehi Shrine. The first 3 days of this long festival are called Tsuruga Matsuri. It starts at the eve of the festival with a traditional Chigo dance, and then big parades begin with ‘Goshintai’ or a symbol････ |
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Mikuni Festival The Mikuni Festival is famous as one of the three biggest festivals in Hokuriku. Many visitors come to see this festival, especially on May 20th, when floats bearing warrior dolls as high as 6m parade through the streets of Mikuni. The streets around Mikuni Shrine are lined with old-fashioned ････ |
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Takefu Chrysanthemum Doll Festival Takefu is the best known for chrysanthemum dolls. There are about 8,000 pots containing flower varieties like Ogiku, Kogiku and Kengai on display and the Kiku Ningyo hall holds dolls with splendid Chrysanthemum decorations portraying old stories. This event also offers a play land with a revue in a large theatre, shows at an outdoor stage, jungle ････ |
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Echizen Pottery Festival Every year, the Echizen Pottery Festival is held for three days starting on the fourth Saturday of May at the Echizen Pottery Village. Its pottery market particularly attracts many visitors, since it offers a 20-30% discount for the prices. Also, the village’s specialty products’ sale, concert, traditional････ |
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Omizuokuri (Water-Sending Ritual) This spring Shinto event, ‘Omizu Okuri’, or water-sending ceremony, is held at Jingu-ji temple and Unose rapids every year on March 2nd. The main part of this event is when the priests at Jingu-ji temple read the ceremonial scroll and pour holy water into the water at Unose from a bamboo cylinder. It is believed that････ |
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Hoze Matsuri Festival This festival comes from the 1200-year-old historic ceremony at Yawata shrine called ‘Hojoe’ which is held every year on the 14th and 15th of September. The main purpose of the ‘Hojoe’ ceremony is to earn merits by freeing captured animals and to preach against the destroying ････ |
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Katsuyama Sagicho Matsuri Festival This is a type of local harvest festival, which was held many places on the lunar New Year (around January 15th) since the Heian period, but this festival is now held on the last Saturday and Sunday of February here in Katsuyama. Local neighborhoods build a few towers with stages in each neighborhood, and a group of men dressed as women････ |
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Wakasa Oi Super Fireworks Festival A large leaf-shaped torch, called Super Daikasei, is lit on the special stage and rotated vigorously by participants until it burns down. Then people knock down the torch as the finale of this valiant fire festival. Also, over 1,000 fireworks are set off and an energetic Japanese drum concert is held. |
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Hanakae (Flower Exchange) Festival In April, when the warm air blows and the cherry blossoms start opening, neighborhoods in Tsuruga are brightened up. The Hanakae Matsuri at Kanesaki shrine, one of the major cherry blossom spots, is an event where couples exchange a branch of cherry blossoms as well as their thoughts about each other, saying ‘Let’s exchange the flowers’. |
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Kuzuryu Autumn Leaves Festival The Kuzuryu Autumn Leaves Festival is held every October to enjoy the view of beautiful autumn leaves. The festival is held at the Kuzuryu Recreation Village, and many local residents participate in it. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of great autumn foods. |
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Baka-Bayashi Baka Bayashi (Foolish Musical Accompaniment) is a kind of local performing art with a more than 300 year-old history. Dancers with 37 kinds of Noh masks give humorous performances to the rhythm of Japanese drums and try to cause laughter among the audience. The event is held annually on May 24 at the Homusubi Shrine････ |
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Echizen Manzai This traditional performance of art is to celebrate the New Year and wish for the prosperity of local families. The performance dates back 1400 years. The drumstick used for the arch shaped taiko drum performances is original to Echizen Manzai. This performance is designated as a national intangible ethnic cultural property. |
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Star Fiesta Under the beautiful stars of the night, this summer festival is held on August 6th. The exciting program includes concerts, parades, Natasho-daiko (drums), fireworks, and a fantastic laser show in which letters are lighted on the mountainside. |
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Hyogo no Kome Hyogo no Kome (Hyogo Rice) is a kind of harvest festival in which many men in traditional costumes pound the first ears of rice in a wooden mortar. Every time they finish their turn to pound, they boast about their strength by raising the heavy mortar. After the ceremony, the rice is steamed ････ |
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Hyuga Kagura (Shinto Music and Dance) Hyuga Kagura (Sacred Shinto music and dance) is based upon a famous Japanese myth, “Amano Iwado.” The Kagura started when Arima Kiyozumi, a lord of Hyuga Province (Miyazaki Pref.) moved to Maruoka Province. It is mainly for the tutelary deity and consolation of ancestors. |
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Mizumi Dengaku and Noh Dances "Mizumi Dengaku and Noh Dances" started around 750 years ago when the Emperor's regent, Hojo Tokiyori, visited Mizumi village. The people of this village performed dengaku (rice-planting) dances to entertain Tokiyori, and he taught them how to perform Noh dances in return. Since then, this medieval art has been gracefully performed････ |
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Rennyoki This event depicts the travels of Rennyo Shonin. The believers of the religion walk relaying a ‘Mikoshi’ or portable shrine, which contains a picture of Rennyo Shonin inside, from Kyoto to Yoshizaki where people holding Japanese lanterns welcome them. This is the biggest traditional････ |
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Tegine Matsuri Festival This festival is an outdoor play, which is held in the precincts of Kamo shrine every year on the 3rd of April. This play depicts the murder of the Chinese Tang queen’s party, who drifted ashore in Yamazaki and who were murdered by local people wielding mortars, blinded by their greed for treasure. After this, the locals were cursed and････ |
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Water Tug-of-War This 300 year-old traditional event is designated as a national intangible cultural heritage. This historic Shinto event is held on the 15th of January in the middle of winter. Groups of local youths in loincloths battle against each other in the water using a 40m long and 30cm thick rope. |
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