DISCOVER FUKUI

The "Kibi Jingu Festival" is famous as "Kibi no Choumatsuri", which starts on September 2 as Yoimiya Matsuri, ends on September 3 as Shinkosai, ends on September 4 as Nensai Matsuri, continues on September 5 through 10 as Gosai Matsuri, and ends on September 15 as Getsuji Matsuri.

The Yoiyama Festival on the 2nd is the eve of the regular festival, and it is said that the main festival cannot begin without the Yoiyama procession. Children perform a dance on a float called "Yoiyama," which is then paraded around the city with a lively musical accompaniment of flutes and drums.

On the 3rd, a palanquin is carried in honor of Emperor Nakai, the deity of Kibi Jingu Shrine. It is led by a brocade flag with a chrysanthemum emblem and accompanied by eboshi, hitatare eji (guards), tsurumeso (warriors in armor), shinshoku (Shinto priests on sacred horses), children, and musicians.

On the fourth day of the festival, six floats, which have a long history as symbols of the festival, will be displayed. The Tsuruga floats feature life-size dolls decorated with real Noh masks and armor, representing the valor of warriors in battles during the Warring States period.

During the festival period, there are festival squares in each shopping district, a carnival procession with the participation of all citizens, and an evening of folk dances, attracting many people from inside and outside the city to Tsuruga.