Shinjo Festival
A city with population of about 40,000 people in the city is flooded with 500,000 spectators during 3 days!! All spectators are approaching to see "Shinjo Festival".
About SHINJO Festival
260 years ago, it inspired the citizens who were strongly hit by very poor harvest. This is a festival which was inspired by daimyo (Feudal lord) ”Tozawa Masanobu” who worshiped god in order to pray for a good harvest. Also that tradition while changing through the times, has been importantly protected by citizens, and in modern times people are manufacturing floats reproducing the story of Kabuki and ancient Japan, by their hands. A total of 20 floats and a row of floats by accompanement that have been handed down from generation to generation are highlights of this festival. Also, the shrine “Mikoshi” is carried out by people dressed as samurai walks around the city with the gods. People in the suburbs are in charge of musicians, people in the center are in charge of floats. The figure that excites the festival with the citizen's total and the scenery full of gorgeous Japanese history and emotion tremendously shakes the hearts of those who saw it, and a large number of tourists visit from Japan and abroad every year.
Message from Mayor
I am very pleased that the Shinjo Festival has been registered as Yamagata prefecture's first UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. The peculiarity of the Shinjo Festival is that it has over 260 years of history and citizens regardless of age and gender are involved in it. I think, that is something which led to its registration by UNESCO. After one year’s worth of work, hand-made festival floats are built and every performance is practiced many times. There is a meaning in every part of the event and it is filled with the citizens' spirit. I hope that guests from all over the world can experience the Shinjo Festival, which is more fun the more one knows it, and that it will become a place for people around the world to interact with each other. Please come and visit our precious cultural asset the Shinjo Festival which is our pride to the world.
Festival music to the world
In recent years, Shinjo Festival attracting a lot of foreign tourists visiting from home and abroad. In 2016 there were also tourists visiting from Taiwan. They are pulling the floats along with the citizens in matching happi coat, enjoy the eve sparkling colorful lighting in front of the eyes from the evening. I was able to hear many impressed voices of people who witnessed Japanese traditional festival culture.
Visitors from Taiwan
In recent years, Shinjo Festival attracting a lot of foreign tourists visiting from home and abroad. In 2016 there were also tourists visiting from Taiwan. They are pulling the floats along with the citizens in matching happi coat, enjoy the eve sparkling colorful lighting in front of the eyes from the evening. I was able to hear many impressed voices of people who witnessed Japanese traditional festival culture.
Visitors from Taiwan
I feel I can share the feeling of appreciation of the benefits of nature, which is the purpose of the festival, as it is common throughout the world. The passion to make that feeling cleverly is wonderful.
ALTs are also invited and enjoyed festival. ALT friends, who experience many festivals Japan, such as fireworks and bon dance are all saying that the grand scale of Shinjo Festival is a masterpiece. Dressed in custom-made of yukata and happi coat, I was willing to touch the unique Japanese culture.
Canadian living in Shinjo
I’m living in Shinjo for the second year. Shinjo Festival is continuing for the second time since the last year. I'm very happy to be part of it. I have an experience of helping the floats production but anyway it was very time-consuming. It is a splendid culture. I want to spread around the world.
Passion for festival
Making YATAI（Float maker, Representative of Teppou-town youths）
The floats of the festival are made of paper or cloth, lumber etc by young people in the city, who are doing re-production of the scene. Ready products are not used at all – all products are handmade. In the heat, people are driving to work until late every night in the holiday. Satoshi Tozuka representative says he want to build up the memorable scenes to see for people. The finished float is 7 meters long and 4.5 meters tall, and looks like wave splash, autumn leaves, and the facial expression of the person, made in anyway elaborate, had showed also likely to start moving finish to now. There are no floats production professionals and technical personnel - each citizen is a craftsman. Mr.Tozukaka is saying with enthusiasm that in the future they want to polish more and more technology.
Henry Family (UK)
Henry Takaya and Henry Marii born to a Shinjo-born mother and a British father. When the season comes, this family living in the United Kingdom coming to the hometown of mother – Shinjo to participate in the festival. Summer vacation is spent in Shinjo, participate in the practice of your musical accompaniment. Play vaudeville whistle was their specialty. 2 people saying they are looking forward to Shinjo Festival every year. "I also have participated in the festival music since I was a kid, my heart was always beating fast every time I heard the sound of drums and flute'. It sounds similar to me," – mother, Ms.Naoko says. While staring at the two of the figure playing the flute I was smiling happily.
Hakoyama Family
Shigeru Hakoyama participating in the festival as musicians as well as his son Minoru and grandson Eita. For over 20 years, Shigeru and Minoru who have contributed to the development of human resources convey the technology of musical accompaniment are saying children will learn courtesy and subordinate relationships of the region in the festival. Also seeing the growth of my children at festival is a life worth living for me. Akiradai (7 years old) will continue gongs (metal-made percussion) from the age of four, it does not scarecrow practice every day when it comes before the festival. Practice is fun. "Whistle also want to be to be able to drum" – speaking a worthy successor who will hand down to the future of the Shinjo Festival.
Don’t miss it!
The highlights of 3 days
Shinjo festival is OUT !!
YOI-MATSURI (The 1st day)
Shinjo Musical Accompaniment Joint festival：Young wanderers of 17 in the city showed their performances in front of the audience. There were no musical score in the musical accompaniment. Since we could inherit the musical tone that people passed to us through for many years, you can enjoy various performances of each musicians.
Tozawa Shrine festival：Shinjo's Feudal lord "Tozawa family" enshrined in "Tozawa Shrine". Tozawa Shrine festival will be held in the solemn atmosphere!
The torch ceremony：A ceremony to move the godfire given from ”Tenman-gu Shrine” to the representative. In the evening, while the whistle flutters pass, officials gathered together and lit the lantern one by one. It is a ritual that can be said as the curtain of the Shinjo Festival.
YOI-MATSURI YATAI GYORETSU：Huge floats containing the lighting, figure that emerges in the dark will attract those who look fantastic, mysterious. The large number of spectators gathered on the roadside and squares, we applaud and cheer to all 20 units of the floats.
HON-MATSURI (The 2nd day)
Tenmangu Shrine Festival：A shrine "Shinjo Tenman-gu Shrine" worshiped as the shrine of the Shinjo lord Tozawa family. It is said that the festival "Tenmangu Shrine Festival", which was held by raising the territory to bring livelihood and hope to the people who are hanged by the great crooks, to pray for good harvests is the origin of the Shinjo Festival.
“Mikoshi” parade：After the Shinto shrine moves to “Mikoshi” shrine, 200 citizens full of historical feelings, wearing samurai's clothes and walking around the city. I can not take my eyes off from brilliant skills such as legs and feet judgment and umbrella turning. At Ishikawa Town Gokigen Avenue in the city people are sitting along the road and greet the queue at a lower position than a mikoshi. The scenic landscape that flourished as a samurai town on Shinjo Castle ruins still remains intact.
HON MATSURI YATAI GYORETSU：Colorful floats shine in summer sky, with all one's strength pulling youth communication with the children center with big shout, and set in front of the station square. Evening festival and its different atmosphere are very attractive.
ATO-MATSURI (The 3rd day)
Gokoku Shrine Festival
"Youth group" Performance：Following each elementary ensemble elementary school student, "Youth group" demonstrates the results of daily practice and plays a vibrant sound. Each kid will compete with each other for the purpose of winning the preference.
Dedication Shishi Dance：Two kinds of folk performing arts of "Hagino Shishi Dance" and "Nita Shishia Dance" are dedicated to Tozawa Shrine and Gokoku Shinto shrine in folk performing arts which are transmitted to the settlements of Hagino and Nitayama in the northern part of Shinjo city.
Kazari-Yatai (Decorated Float)：All 20 floats will be exhibited in the central shopping street of the city. You can closely and carefully watch the delicately crafted stalls reflecting the commitment of each youth with each other.
Downtown Shishi Dance：Shinjo shishi dance simulates the antelope, it is said to be a very unusual dance in Japan. A powerful dance praying for grain richness will color throughout the city
Closing ceremony：The representatives of musicians, floats and the festival gather together. They make a comprehensive review for three days and praise each other. Festival filled with enthusiasm will curtain by hand tightening all together.
Editor's note
The "Shinjo Festival" is filled with all the love of homeland, family love, heart that appreciates nature, hospitality heart, the origin of Japanese heart. Please come to see it once. More than ten times as many people as the population visited during the three days and has been running for more than 260 years. The reason is here.
Last update 2016/12/01
- This was created on the basis of information published by Kadokawa Uplink Inc. Publication Magazine Jetstar Japan in-flight magazine
- "Travel & Coupon Book Tabi-Coupon"
- Peach Aviation limited flight magazine "Peach Select"
- Vanilla Air onboard magazine "tabic"