The Fukagawa Hachiman Festival is held in August and is counted as one of the three major Edo festivals. The charm of the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival can be described as the “throwing water” in the alias “Mikoshi Togyo” (a Shinto ritual where a mikoshi (portable shrine) parades to pray for happiness of people lining the path of the parade) and “Mizukake Water Festival”.
As the name of “Mizukake Water Festival”, the festival where a large amount of water is sprayed toward the mikoshis that are togyo is so wet that the viewer is wet. Asakusa comes to mind when it comes to Tokyo’s downtown area, but Fukagawa is located in the south of Asakusa. Recently, it is a town full of the atmosphere of the downtown area, although it has developed adjacent to Toyosu on the waterfront. This festival, which takes place in Fukagawa in the middle of August every year, attracts many tourists, including celebrities.
Monzen-Nakacho, located in the center of Fukagawa, is famous for its long-established shops that are closely related to the local community, including the famous Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, Fukagawa Fudoson, and traditional Japanese sweets and pubs.
In particular, Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine is a place worth seeing, with the largest shrine in Japan with diamonds that can only be seen in Japan, and the Yokozuna monument of successive sumo wrestlers. . Mizukake Water Festival, which has been held for a long time in the culture of such a downtown, is a summer feature unique to downtown where it is fun to carry a mikoshi and enjoy watching the mikoshi.
It ’s not good to participate in the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival, the Mizukake Water Festival. After participating, there is no doubt that you will get wet at the end. Let’s go with clothes that can get wet. However, since it is a sacred festival, wearing swimsuits is NG. It’s a hot summer, so clothes will dry quickly, but avoid clothes that you don’t want to get wet!
This festival is held all year round, but once every three years, the largest festival of the Mizukake Water Festival is held. Aiming at Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine for two days in mid-August, it is truly a masterpiece that 54 shrines of each neighborhood association make a combined visit.
Fukagawa’s Mizukake Water Festival, held every year before and after the Bon Festival in August, is a must-see event. In addition, there are long-established dumpling shops and lively pubs, and there are stalls and stores that fill up the shopping street during the festival, so you can enjoy many spots where you can enjoy the downtown atmosphere at the same time. How about going to the Fukagawa water festival once?
Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri (Fukagawa Festival) is a festival of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine held in mid-August every year. This festival was started in the early Edo period by the order of the Edo shogunate. Therefore, even now, it seems that there is a case where Mikoshi (portable shrine) may be carried to the Imperial Palace where Edo castle was once. Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri, which is one of the three great Edo Festival together with the Sanno Festival of Hie-jinja Shrine, Kanda Festival of Kanda-jinja Shrine. It is a festival with a history of 370 years, and main festival, festival of the main shrine, minor festival (held when there is no regular festival) is done in 3 year cycle.
As alias “Water Festival”, this is a festival where crowds can be excited together as a result of placing clean water on Mikoshi’s carrier from the roadside. How to apply water is amazing. Some people sprinkle water with a bucket, some people discharge water from a fire hydrant, so visitors will be drenched so be careful.
Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri’s most important highlight is the portable shrines being carried through the street, but from the evening it is also a must-see as it also hosts dedicated events such as drums and martial arts performances.
This festival is held with 3-year cycle of “Hon Matsuri” (the main ceremonial festival), “Gohonsha Matsuri” (the main shrine festival), “Kage Matsuri” (the minor festival). It was “the minor festival” in 2016. The Main Festival rotating once in three years, the town portable shrine of 120, large and small, is shouldered.
As another name of “the Mizukake Water Festival”, the spectators of the roadside through the purified water on the bearer, and they really got excited together.
The shower, with a bucket and discharging water from a fire hydrant got them drenched. If your smartphone does not have waterproofing specifications, you should view this festival while being careful about water!
Though it is a scale counted by “the Edo three big festival”, there is atmosphere moderately considered as a local warm heart. It is the festival which can feel “The iki (sophistication) of Fukagawa” of the Sumida River east shore, different than “The iki (sophistication) of Edo” felt from the Sanja Matsuri Festival of Asakusa or the Kanda Matsuri Festival of Kanda Myojin.
Information(Access, Price/Charge, Tel, Address, Official site, etc.)
| Name: | Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri (Fukagawa Festival) |
| Adresse: | Tomioka 1-20-3 Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0047 Japan |
| Access: | Tokyo Metro Tozai-sen line "Monzen-Nakacho-eki Station” (3 minutes walk) |
| Tel: | (+81) 3-3642-1315 (Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine) |
| Price/Charge: | Free |
| Official site: | http://www.tomiokahachimangu.or.jp/ |
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