[Yamagata Prefecture] The roots of the Yamagata Hanagasa lie in Obanazawa! "Yasho Makasho" is a call born from the workers during embankment construction

in Yamagata Prefecture is known as one of the six major festivals of the Tohoku regionThe Hanagasa Festival. Its trademark is the hats adorned with safflower, the prefectural flower of Yamagata.

the Hanagasa Ondo"Yassho Makasho"is a catchy phrase that you won't forget once you hear it. Calls and interjections are always present in folk songs, and many of them are expressed using onomatopoeia, with "Yassho Makasho" being one of them.

It can be said that there is always a hidden meaning and historical background behind it. Of course, there is truth in the folk song Hanagasa Ondo that should be passed down. Let's trace the roots of the Hanagasa Ondo chant

Learn about the Hanagasa Festival!

The Hanagasa Ondo Paradebegan in 1963, and the Hanagasa Festival has been held since 1965, two years later. Every year from August 5th to 7th, for three days, flower-decorated hats adorned with safflowers illuminate the nights along Nanokamachi Street in Yamagata City.

The festival is characterized by the vibrant dances of dancers wearing flower hats, accompanied by the familiar chant of "Yasho Makasho," led by a float modeled after Zao Daigongen. Over 100 dance groups participate every year, so over the three days you can see more than 10,000 flower hats decorated with safflowers

The parade attracted over 800,000 spectators in total, and it's said that the excitement of the parade rivals that of the Awa Odori festival in western Japan. Incidentally, the vibrant safflower used to decorate the flower hatsMogami safflowera specialty product of the Murayama region.

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

"Mogami Safflower" certified as a Japanese Heritage and Japanese Agricultural Heritage [Yamagata Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/18102

Safflower has long been cultivated as a source of red and yellow dyes. Its seeds also produce safflower oil. While safflower grown in Japan is primarily used as a dye, its overwhelming share of the global market is used to produce safflower oil. Most of Japan's safflower oil is imported from the United States. A field of safflower. Photo location: Tendo City © Yamagata Prefecture. While the origin of safflower is unknown, safflower pigments have been found in clothing worn by Egyptian mummies dating back to around 2,500 years ago.

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Where did Hanagasa Ondo originate?

Its place of origin isObanazawa City, located in the northeastern part of Yamagata Prefecture. Obanazawa is also very famous as a watermelon producing area. Some people may think of Yamagata City, where the Hanagasa Festival is held, but it was born in Obanazawa City.

The embankment construction of Lake Tokura, which led to the creation of the Hanagasa Ondo

, located in Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, is the birthplace of the Hanagasa Ondo danceLake Tokura. In fact, Lake Tokura is closely related to the birth of the Hanagasa Ondo.

At the time, the main sources of water for agricultural use in this area were rainwater and spring water, but it was thought that a stable water source was necessary to ensure a reliable harvest of agricultural products

Towards the end of the Meiji era, rice prices began to rise, leading to a boom in rice paddy development projects. This promptedJotaro Takamiyato take the lead in planning the construction of a large pond capable of supplying water to over 300 hectares of rice paddies. This is how Lake Tokura came into being.

• Construction period: September 27, 1919 (Taisho 8) to May 27, 1921 (Taisho 10)
• Size: Area 26ha, circumference 5,600m, depth 5.6m, water storage capacity 720,000m2

Even during droughts, Lake Tokura is capable of irrigating 4,230 hectares of rice paddies for about 45 days, making a significant contribution to the future agriculture of this area

Lake Tokura＜Information＞

• Name: Lake Tokura
• Address: 999-4212, Futofukuro, Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture

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So what is the relationship between Lake Tokura and Hanagasa Ondo? The truth is finally revealed!

Background of Hanagasa Ondo ~Dontsuki Song~

It is said that the road to the completion of Lake Tokura was a difficult one. Although the construction was hard work, many workers gathered because of the high wages. About 300 people worked on it each day, and a total of 70,000 people were involved until it was completed

The wages were 1 yen 30 sen for men and 80 sen for women, which was quite high for the time

The roots of Hanagasa Ondo lie in the workers who were engaged in building the Tokura Lake embankment, and the call of "Yasho Makasho" was exactly what they were shouting!

The earth pounding work that became the origin of the Hanagasa Ondo

The specifics of the embankment construction involved men using hoes to break down the hillside and transporting the soil using baskets and trolleys. Women would compact the soil by attaching 10 ropes to 60kg stones (called "turtles") and raising and lowering them. Thissoil compaction work performed by the womenis called "dontsuki" (earth pounding).

Dontsuki song (now Hanagasa Ondo)

(Dontsuki Song) was sung during the earth-pounding work when construction of the Tokura Lake embankment beganThe "Dontsuki Uta".

It is said that in order to avoid danger while working, everyone kept in sync and kept in rhythm. It was also thanks to the Dontsuki song that the workers were able to enjoy the hard work. The Dontsuki song was created through a public contest, with as many as 400 to 500 lyrics submitted

The reason why so many lyrics were proposed was that good ones were given rewards and sweets. The joy of "Dontsuki Uta" is in the combination of work and fun, and since it gave birth to the Hanagasa Ondo we know today, you can even sense the spirit of the people involved in the construction of Lake Tokura's embankment

The "Dontsuki Uta" is a song that has been written in many different poems, but the intonation has remained unchanged since 1919, making it a wonderful piece of traditional culture

Hanagasa Dance was born as a way to protect from the rain during construction work

The year after the Dontsuki song was created (1920), construction workersthe sedge hatsimprovised choreography using

The dance is characterized by the incorporation of gestures used during the construction of Lake Tokura. For example, the movement to protect from the rain and sun during work is represented by swinging a hat around. The work of carrying earth is represented by carrying a hat on both shoulders

Depending on the place where the workers worked, many dances were created for each village, but currently only five schools of dance have been handed down: Kamimachi, Terauchi, Harada, Akuto, and Nakizawa

The start of the Hanagasa Dance Parade

During the autumn festival in August 1921, a hat dance was performed to the tune of "Dontsuki Uta" to celebrate the completion of Lake Tokura. This was the beginning of the current "Hanagasa Odori Parade." The hats were adorned with the trademark safflower paper flowers, and this decoration is still used today

The truth behind the chant "Yasho Makasho"!

"Yasho makasho" is an important call in the Hanagasa Ondo. Without this, the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival would not exist

Behind the folk song Hanagasa, which was born from the Dontsuki song, lies a hidden story of the workers involved in the construction of Lake Tokura's embankment. The Dontsuki song was sung by the workers while pounding the soil. In the middle of the song, they would shout "Yoi yasa, yoiyasa."

After Lake Tokura was completed, this call was changed to "Yasho-makasho."

The meaning of Yassho Makasho has multiple origins,

• In Obanazawa dialect, it means "Let's water the rice fields."
• It means "Let's do it, let's leave it to us"
• When Lake Tokura was completed, the "Hanagasa Dance" was performed at the annual festival of Suwa Shrine, and the meaning of the dance is "Leave it to the shrine."

So, it seems there are several theories

lastly

How was it?

Lake Tokura and the Dontsuki song. These two are the fruits of the efforts of workers who work hard while praying for a bountiful harvest. The Dontsuki song, Hanagasa Ondo, is a traditional culture that should continue to be passed down forever

Yamagata Hanagasa Festival <Information>

• Name: Yamagata Hanagasa Council
• Location: Yamagata city center (Tokamachi, Honmachi, Nanukamachi Street to Bunshokan)
• Event period: 3 days from August 5th to 7th every year
• Official URL:https://www.hanagasa.jp/

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