About this event
The Inuyama Festival is a festival of Haritsuna Shrine said to have started in 1635 (Kanei 12), and is designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Held every year on the first Saturday and Sunday of April, 13 gorgeous three-story festival floats (yama) and 3 nerimono (processional performances) are paraded through the castle town of Inuyama. Each float carries a different, elaborate karakuri mechanical puppet, which performs as an offering to the accompaniment of flute and drum music (hayashi). During the day, they parade under full-bloom cherry blossoms, and at night, lanterns are lit, enveloping the town in a magical atmosphere. Donden and Kurumakiri, where floats weighing over 3 tons are powerfully lifted to change direction, are full of excitement. The festival tradition has continued since the Edo period and is also inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. As traffic restrictions will be in effect around the venue, the use of public transportation is recommended.
Official website (Japanese) ↗Venue
Haritsuna Shrine
65-1 Inuyama Kitakoken, Inuyama, Aichi 484-0082
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