{"id":4080,"date":"2020-04-01T18:10:59","date_gmt":"2020-04-01T09:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/takayama-spring-festival\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:34:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:34:39","slug":"takayama-spring-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/takayama-spring-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Takayama Spring Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Located in Gifu Prefecture, and surrounded by some of Japan\u2019s richest natural areas just below the famous Northern Alps, Takayama is somewhat isolated and distant.\u00a0 This isolation allowed the city to develop its own distinct culture that combines that of nearby Edo (modern day Tokyo) and Kyoto\u2019s into a new and interesting way.<\/p>\n

It also has another connection to the aforementioned Kyoto, in that it is host to one of the three most beautiful festivals in the country, the Sanno Festival<\/p>\n

About Takayama Sanno Matsuri<\/h2>\n

The city of Takayama holds two large festivals a year, one in the spring, and the second in the following autumn. The Spring Festival, also known as Sanno Matsuri (April 14-15, 2020), focuses on the southern part of the old town known as Kamimachi, centering around the Hie Shrine which has a history going back to 1141.<\/p>\n

With some 1,000 people taking part in the festival’s parade most dressed in kamishimo (samurai costume), the beauty of the Sanno Matsuri comes in the form of the stunning mikoshi portable shrines and ‘yatai’ floats. Dating from the early days of the festival, these floats are each etched with elaborate carvings and are decorated by the dozen local areas that they represent, and with Takayama renowned for its highly skilled carpenters and craftsmen since ancient times, these talents have been passed down through the centuries and can be found in the intricacy and charm of the floats to this day<\/p>\n

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A karakuri marionette on top of a yatai float.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not content with being gorgeous, these yatai are also amazingly entertaining, for sitting atop each float is a karakuri\u00a0puppet. Karakuri is a traditional Japanese mechanized marionette or automaton, essentially Edo-era robots.<\/p>\n

Developed in the 17th century they are powered by a whalebone spring and controlled by a series of wheels, cams and levers, and were often used at festivals to perform reenactments of popular myths. Many of the Karakuri at Sanno Matsuri are unique to the area, and at various stages in the day will delight festival goers in turn with performances.<\/p>\n

Following the performances, as the sun sets on the festival’s first evening, the floats are lined up and lit with ‘chochin’ lanterns. With the evening near its end, the many thousands of visitors wander the streets eating festival food, enjoying drinks, and basking in the ethereal beauty of the floats as they look forward to the coming autumn.<\/p>\n

Sanno Matsuri Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n