Iizaka Kenka Matsuri (Fight Festival), Fukushima

One of Japan’s three greatest “Kenka Matsuri” (Fight Festival)

“Iizaka Kenka Matsuri” (Fight Festival) is the festival that is famous as one of Japan’s three greatest “Kenka Matsuri” (Fight Festival) along with “Danjiri Festival” of Osaka Kishiwada, “Oyama Bayashi Festival” of Akita Kakunodate.
Iizaka Hot Spring which is one of the three Oshu (Northern Honshu, the region encompassing Mutsu and Dewa provinces) hot spring. Iizaka Kenka Matsuri is an alias of the annual festival of Iizaka Hachimanjinja Shrine nearby.
This annual festival is a festival to be held for three days mainly on first Saturday of October.

Traditional festival continuing about 300 years

It is a festival which appreciating God for Gokokuhojo (bumper crop) and praying for a parishioner veneration person’s prosperity.
Although the history of the festival is not known clearly, it is a traditional festival which considers Gion in Kyoto as origin and which continues about 300 years.

Intensely clashes into the yatai

There is “Mikoshi togyo” (Shinto ritual where a mikoshi (portable shrine) parades to pray for happiness of people lining the path of the parade) in this festival.
This Mikoshi makes a tour of inspection in the town, and follow it with six taiko-yatai (drum festival car) when it is night and leave Otabisho (a place to install a portable shrine).
The taiko-yatai entering into the precincts of the shrine with the Mikoshi in front intensely clashes into the yatai blocking it to enter the shrine.
This is a reason called “Kenka Matsuri” (Fight Festival).

It’s simply overwhelming

In the fantastic space where a candle shakes, the state of beating drums loudly and vibrating the air, it’s simply overwhelming.

The performance of the mikoshi of each town can be enjoyed

The collision of miyairi (to enter shrine) performed on the 2nd day is the most famous for Iizaka Kenka Matsuri.
It is the highlight in which turn miyairi is performed and which town’s yatai wins.
In addition, the performance of the mikoshi of each town can be enjoyed in front of the Iizaka Onsen station.

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