Utazu Autumn Festival (Ubushina Shrine & Shiogama Shrine Annual Festival)

About this event

The autumn tradition of Utazu Town in Kagawa Prefecture, the "Utazu Autumn Festival" is a powerful festival held jointly as the annual festival for Ubushina Shrine and Shiogama Shrine. The sight of more than a dozen taikodai (drum floats) parading through the historic streetscape while skimming eaves and utility poles captivates many people with breathtaking tension and dynamic energy. The greatest feature of the Utazu taikodai is the roof cushions made of 5 layers of alternating red and black futon, which are said to represent the fusion of Shinto and Buddhism because the shrine practiced Shinto-Buddhist syncretism until the early Meiji period. In addition, the lion dance of Utazu is mainly the "two-person standing" style where two young lion dancers enter inside a yutan (cloth cover) to dance, characterized by a flashy red-toned yutan design and a papier-mache type lion head. Percussion and musical instruments such as drums, kane (gongs), and flutes are used to enliven the lion dance. For festival food stalls, one of the festival highlights, along with standard menu items like takoyaki and yakisoba, there is a tendency for udon-related stalls unique to Kagawa Prefecture to appear. Every year, temporary parking is set up and traffic restrictions are implemented during the festival period, so the use of public transportation is recommended.

Venue

Ubushina Shrine

1644 Utazu-cho, Ayauta-gun, Kagawa 769-0210