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Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival Photo Report: Part 1: Kabuki performances on the large floats at the evening festival [Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture]
Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival Photo Report: Part 1: Kabuki performances on the large floats at the evening festival [Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture]
Minamiaizu Town is located in the southwestern part of Fukushima Prefecture, just a short distance south of Tochigi Prefecture."Okuaizu,"this region, also known asone of Japan's three major Gion Festivalshosts
This article willthe Aizu Tajima Gion Festivalthe first day of(Yoimatsuri)show you what
July 22nd: Annual Festival (Evening Festival)
The Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival is said to have originated around 1185 during the Kamakura period, when the feudal lord at the time, Naganuma Munemasa, had faith in Gion and enshrined the god of Gion as the guardian deity of his castle, and held the Gion Festival together with the festival of Tadeuga Shrine, the guardian deity of Tajima
It has long been known as one of Japan's three major Gion festivals, with "Gion Shrine in the west, Tsushima Shrine in the middle, and Tadeuka Shrine in the east." For more details, please see the article below
The festival is held for three days every year from July 22nd to 24th, with the main festival taking place on the 23rd, the middle day
When you arrive at Tajima, the first thing you should do is visit Tadeuga Shrine
We arrived in Tajima just after 5pm on the 22nd. The festival itself starts at 10am, but the main event of the day, the Kabuki performance on the large floats, takes place from the early evening into the night, so you can still see it from this time
At dusk, the dimly lit lanterns and the Oku-Aizu mountains shrouded in thin clouds create a fantastical atmosphere at Tadeuga Shrine
2025.07.22 Aizu Tajima Gion Festival_Tadeuga Daimyojin plaque and main hall
The main deity enshrined at "Tadeuga Shrine"Tadeuga Daimyojin, who is said to have suddenly appeared from a small island in the middle of a rice field long ago, and has been worshipped as the guardian deity of this area ever since.
the town, which had previously been called Hinomachi,"Tajima"changed its name to
2025.07.22 Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival_Tadeuga Shrine and Kumano Shrine Plaques
The Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival used to be called the "Tenno Festival" and was held on June 15th, but since the Meiji period, it has been held together with the festival of Kumano Shrine, which is enshrined in the neighboring area, on the same day as the Gion Festival of Tadeuga Shrine
So, to be precise, it is a festival of two shrines: Tadeuga Shrine and Kumano Shrine
Head to the main street of the festival where the float kabuki is performed
2025.07.22 Aizu Tajima Gion Festival_Seven-lined Vessel Street
After finishing our prayers, wevia "Nanahokai Street,"which connects the shrine to the town's central district. Incidentally, this is also the street through which the Nanahokai procession will pass the following day.
2025.07.22 Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival_One of the large floats "Naka-yatai"
During this period, National Route 121, Tajima's main road, will be closed to traffic only in the central shopping district around Aizu-Tajima Station, the main festival venue
As we entered this main street, the first thing that caught our eye was Naka Yatai, one of the large floats. They were in the middle of preparing for the next performance
There are four main floats in total, called the West Float, the Upper Float, the Middle Float, and the Main Float
The kabuki performances vary from float to float, and pamphlets about the shows being performed are distributed at the tourist information center located near Aizu-Tajima Station, so you can check information such as "What will be performed at which float and at what time?" in the pamphlets
2025.07.22 Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival_National Route 121, the main street of the festival
As the sun goes down, more and more people gather on the street
2025.07.22 Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival_Izumiya Ryokan and Kamiyataiya
is a nationally registered tangible cultural propertyIzumiya Ryokan. After the war, it served as a designated inn for the Allied occupation forces, and as a result, it still retains Western-style rooms and English signage. Incidentally, it apparently doesn't have air conditioning, so staying there in the summer might require some courage…
Parked in front is one of the large food stalls, Kamiyatai
At the Aizu Tajima Gion Festival, the Tadeuga Shrinea sake brewing licensehas been grantedsake brewery "Kokken Shuzo," the doburoku (unrefined sake) served to the festival is brewed on the shrine grounds.
Because this sake is served not only to festival participants but also to spectators, the Aizu Tajima Gion Festival"Doburoku Festival" (unrefined sake festivalis also known as the
The Kabuki performance begins with the parading of the float
2025.07.22 Aizu Tajima Gion Festival_The large float being pulled around
The four floats are pulled around by adults with many children on board, and stop at a place called a "geijo" where a kabuki performance is held. Each performance is divided into seven parts, and as they repeatedly move and perform, a performance is held in turn as they arrive at the geijo
Incidentally, during this procession, the children riding on the floats"O-san! Yarekakero!"which apparently means something like "Come on, uncles, run hard!"... It's probably a traditional thing, but it's quite a lot of egging on. Lol
If the shouts are slow, they slow down, and if they're fast, they speed up. As the kids get more excited, they start talking faster and faster, so it looked like it was quite a challenge for the adults pulling the floats
Upon arriving at the "performance hall" and as the children disembark from the floats, the kabuki performance finally begins. The photo shows a float kabuki performance on the upper float, with the play being"Ichinotani Futaba Gunki" (The Tale of Ichinotani Futaba).
Children's Kabuki was originally performed at the Gion Festival from the Edo period through the early Meiji period, but was abolished with the promulgation of the "School System" in 1872 (Meiji 5) on the grounds that it was "not educationally desirable."
in 1994 (Heisei 6)a hiatus of about 120 years,and has continued to operate ever since.
Due to time constraints, we were unable to see all of the performances by the floats, but even though they were children's kabuki, their acting skills were comparable to that of adults. I was a little surprised at how much more authentic the kabuki performance was than I had imagined
After that, we couldn't find a place to stay in town, so we headed back to a ryokan inn in Yunokami Onsen. The only thing I regret is that we couldn't drink alcohol because we had to drive, even though we were surrounded by the most amazing festival atmosphere... To be continued on day two!
Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs
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