Chojasan Shinra Shrine

Hachinohe Sansha Taisai　(Japan)

Hachinohe Sansha Taisai
Gorgeous Pageantry - Japan's best float parade


The Hachinohe Sansha Taisai helps decorate Hachinohe's short summer season.
Accompanied by traditional shrine processions and lively Japanese folk music,the gorgeous floats evoke images of Japan's feudal era.

Boasting a history of over 300 years, the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai has been designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
The Hachinohe Sansha Taisai has been registered on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list under the section of “Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan.”

The most notable highlight is the procession of mikoshi (portable shrines) from Ogami Shrine, Chojasan Shinra Shrine and Shinmei-gu Shrine,as well as the parade of floats (sansha) featuring subjects such as mythological
figures and kabuki characters.
As the floats which can reach heights of 10m and widths of 8m pass by, spectators often shout with joy.

The night time parade of illuminated floats seems to hover in the night air and creates a fantastical atmosphere that provides a completely different way to enjoy the festivities.
Every year for the 5 days from July 31 to August 5, Hachinohe is enveloped in a unique excitement.



The Making of the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai Dashi (Parade Floats)

The construction of the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai festival floats, called dashi,begins around the Japanese holiday period commonly known as Golden Week,which usually takes place during the beginning of May.
A month before the actual festival begin, lights peeping out from the sheds,storerooms, and garages that store the dashi can be seen in every neighborhood as the dashi making work continues deep into the night.

No one is usually referred to as a professional dashi maker in the strictest sense amongst those who help construct the floats for the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai,because almost all the people helping with the construction of their neighborhood float usually have full time jobs and careers.

Thus it is after the people of the neighborhood have returned from a full day’s work and it is already late at night that the construction starts. But it is this effort and dedication of the people who work together to build the
floats that help to support the entire festival.

After the festival is over, the dashi that were so painstakingly and intricately　made are sometimes used in different neighborhood festivals or other celebrations,but in the end all of them are eventually disassembled.

When May of the next year comes round again, it will be time to find new materials　to build a whole different dashi. With no two dashi ever being exactly alike,the 27 floats of the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai add a particular extravagance and impressive beauty to the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai festival.

【Short ver.】The Japanese Traditional Arts Hachinohe Sansha Taisai Festival （english）

The Hachinohe Sansha Taisai helps decorate Hachinohe's short summer season.
Accompanied by traditional shrine processions and lively Japanese folk music, the gorgeous floats
evoke images of Japan's feudal era.

　Boasting a history of over 290 years, the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai has been designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

The most notable highlight is the procession of mikoshi (portable shrines) from Ogami Shrine, Chojasan Shinra Shrine and Shinmei-gu Shrine, as well as the parade of floats (sansha) featuring subjects such as mythological figures and kabuki characters. As the floats which can reach heights of 10m and widths of 8m pass by, spectators often shout with joy. The night time parade of illuminated floats seems to hover in the night air and creates a fantastical atmosphere that provides a completely different way to enjoy the festivities.

Every year for the 5 days from July 31 to August 4, Hachinohe is enveloped in a unique excitement.



The Japanese Traditional Arts 八戸三社大祭
●日本語版
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●English
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●中文繁体
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●中文简体
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●한국어
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