Shingo Yabe: How Festivals Have Embraced Change

Festivals are generally thought of as a form of Japanese traditional culture that has been passed down continuously from generation to generation since ancient times. However, in reality, it is no exaggeration to say that there is no such thing as a festival that has never experienced change. For example, when people hear the phrase "festivals of Tokyo," many likely imagine portable shrines (mikoshi). Indeed, if you visit the Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa or the Kanda Matsuri in Kanda today, you can see numerous mikoshi. These mikoshi are broadly divided into two types: the miya-mikoshi managed by the shrine, and the machi-mikoshi owned by the parishioner neighborhoods. Of these, most of the mikoshi seen at festivals are the machi-mikoshi carried out from the parishioner neighborhoods. However, the practice of parading machi-mikoshi in Tokyo festivals is not that old; it is said to have begun after the late 1900s (the 40th year of the Meiji era).

So, what did the parishioners of Tokyo, and before that, Edo, do? People used floats (dashi) and costumed processions or various decorative structures called tsukematsuri. According to the "Toto Saijiki" (Records of the Year in the Eastern Capital) published by Gesshin Saito in 1838 (Tenpo 9), the Sanja Matsuri during the Edo period was held biennially on March 17 and 18, and it is said that floats and tsukematsuri were sent out from 31 neighborhoods on the 18th—though if you count the neighborhoods listed in the "Toto Saijiki" that sent out floats, it appears to be 30 rather than 31. Furthermore, in the Sanno Matsuri of Hie Shrine in Akasaka and the Kanda Matsuri of Kanda Myojin, which were considered the largest festivals in Edo, up to 56 floats appeared in the former and up to 40 in the latter. These two festivals were also called Tenka Matsuri (Festivals of the Shogunate) and were viewed by the Shogun.

On the other hand, the responsibility for the tsukematsuri in the Sanno and Kanda festivals was determined by rotation or lottery. The neighborhoods in charge for that year would present costumed processions of the Korean embassies, decorative structures of the head of Shuten-doji (slain by Minamoto no Raiko and his followers), or even a decorative structure of an elephant that came to Japan in 1728 (Kyoho 13). These flamboyant tsukematsuri seemed to capture the attention of the people of Edo. However, precisely because they were so flamboyant, their number and scale were restricted during the Kyoho and Kansei Reforms. Regarding the state of the Kanda Matsuri in 1791 (Kansei 3), which is thought to have been held during the Kansei Reform period, the following entry can be found in the "Bukō Nenpyō" (Chronology of Edo) for September 15 of that year:

"September 15th, Kanda Festival. Aside from the floats, there are only Dai-kagura, spinning tops, and children's sumo. A satirical poem from this time: 'The festival is like a clear soup with auspicious fins; with only floats, there is nothing worth seeing.'"

September 15th of the lunar calendar was the day of the Kanda Matsuri. In the festival of that year, the tsukematsuri were likely regulated due to the influence of the reforms, leaving nothing worth seeing. The sentiment of the Edoites—that such a festival is not interesting—is clearly conveyed.

As the modern era began, the nature of festivals underwent a major transformation. First, the tsukematsuri disappeared—it is said that the last time a tsukematsuri appeared in the Kanda Matsuri was in 1887 (Meiji 20)—and as mentioned above, floats were gradually replaced by machi-mikoshi. Regarding the reason why floats stopped being paraded, it is commonly said that it was because power lines were strung throughout the streets of Tokyo, but some point out that this was not the decisive factor, and rather that financial issues were more significant. In any case, from the late Meiji era onward, the mikoshi became the main attraction in Tokyo festivals. If one asks whether festivals declined as a result, that is not the case. People continue to enjoy festivals as much as ever.

A festival is not solely about honoring history and passing down what was inherited from previous generations to the next. It is quite possible that the existing way of doing things must change due to shifts in the social environment. In such times, rather than clinging to past protocols and jeopardizing the execution of the festival, it may be better to respond flexibly to the demands of the era. Acts in a festival, such as pulling a float or carrying a mikoshi, can never be done alone. In that sense, a festival is a preeminently social phenomenon that relies on the cooperation of people. Changing a festival to ensure its survival can also be seen as maintaining the connections between people.

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