What Happens When 1000s Unite for a 200 Year Old Japanese Festival?
Come on over. [Music] [Music] Welcome back to the channel everyone. This is Yahada in Kitakushu and what you’re seeing right now is one of the most spectacular summer traditions in all of Fukuoka, the Tobata Gon Oyagasa Festival. Every July, the streets of Tobata come alive with energy, music, and these incredible floats that tower over the crowds. Most striking part of this festival are the oyagasa. During the day, you’ll see them decorated with long red and black banners rising high into the arcade and streets. Each banner carries the name of its neighborhood or team, and the craftsmanship is incredible. Layer upon layer of tradition passed down for centuries. These floats aren’t just for show. They’re carried through the streets by teams of men dressed in traditional happy coats and headbands, chanting and moving in rhythm. You can feel the power and unity in every step. The entire community comes together for this and the energy is contagious. The floats oyamagasa are massive. Some with banners reaching 10 m tall. Before the real festival begins, the teams need to make sure everything is in order. It’s a practice session for the bearsers to get their rhythm, balance, and coordination right. Carrying and turning these huge floats through narrow streets and arcades is no easy task. It also lets the carpenters, float masters, and organizers confirm that the wooden structure, decorations, and balance are safe. [Music] Hallelujah. Each neighborhood’s float is brought into the arcade where the ceilings are high but still tight compared to the open streets. Bearers lift the float and chant yotosa yotosa while testing its movement forward backward swaying side to side and sometimes even doing hypothetical turns. The arcade amplifies the sound of the chants and drums, so it feels even more intense than outdoors. Spectators crowd in close. This is the community’s first real look at the float in action before the official parade begins. [Music] You guys ready? [Applause] [Music] This tradition goes back for generations and it isn’t just for show. It’s about discipline, safety, and preparation. Each Oya Magasa float can weigh up to two tons. And when you add the tall banners or hundreds of lanterns, the balance becomes even trickier without a proper test run. A float could tip, break, or even injure the bearers during the main event. But beyond safety, the test run is deeply symbolic. When the men lift those massive floats and move in rhythm through the arcade, it shows that the community is united, confident, and strong enough to carry not just the physical weight of the float, but also the weight of tradition handed down for more than two centuries. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] For the people of Tobata, this festival is more than entertainment. It’s identity. It’s also about pride. Many of the men carrying these floats once watched their fathers and grandfathers do the same. Some families have been part of this for centuries. To be able to lift an oyagasa isn’t just about strength. It’s about belonging to something greater than yourself. [Music] You’ll often see children in Yucata or happy coats running between stalls helping families prepare food or carrying supplies for the team. Their presence creates a family- centered atmosphere. It shows that Tobata Gion isn’t just for the strong men carrying the floats, but for the entire community. You can see kids, families, and teams of men in traditional happy coats and headbands gathering around. This is a preliminary parade, almost like a festival warm-up where the floats are displayed before the main transformation into lantern floats. Chin yamagasa that happens later. The atmosphere is lively, but not yet at full intensity. People are enjoying festival food. You can see character themed Castella sponge cakes and other stalls, music, and the buildup of excitement. To put it simply, this is the night before showcase where the floats are brought out and carried through the neighborhood with their daytime decorations while the community gathers around. It’s the transition moment between preparation and the full-blown festival that follows. It’s not just a performance. It’s a living story told through sound, movement, and light. [Music] [Music] [Music] If you want to see what these floats can really do during the actual festival event, click the above link to watch the video. On the eve of the festival, Yoyama Shinto priests at Tobata Hachime shrine perform purification rituals to prepare both the participants and the floats for the days ahead. Here’s what they typically do. Shinto blessing Shinji priests conduct a ceremony at the shrine to purify the oyagasa floats the carriers and the community offerings such as rice sake and salt are placed before the deities ohay purification using a white paper wand onusa the priests wave over the floats and participants symbolically cleansing away impurity and misfortune prayers for safety they pray for for the safe carrying of the floats, the protection of the participants and for the festival to proceed without accidents or illness. Ritual music and offerings, sometimes kagura, sacred music and dance is performed and offerings are made to the shrine’s deity hachiman, protector of warriors and communities. This ceremony is essentially a spiritual green light for the festival. Once the priests have completed their role, the community feels assured that the gods are with them when they parade the massive floats through Tobata’s streets. The Tobata Gon Oamagasa Festival is more than 220 years old, but it feels alive, fresh, and full of energy every single year. By day, the floats rise with bold banners. By night, they glow like towers of fire. And through it all, the chant yo sa yoto sa carries the spirit of Tobata forward. If you ever find yourself in Kyushu in July, this is one festival you simply cannot miss. Because here in Yhata, history isn’t locked away in a museum. It walks, it glows, and it chants through the streets. [Music]
Experience the Tobata Gion Oyamagasa Festival in Yahata, Kitakyushu — held every year on the fourth weekend of July. By day, giant floats tower with bold banners, and by night, they transform into glowing lantern towers. With over 220 years of history, UNESCO recognition, and the powerful chant “Yoito-sa!”, this is one of Fukuoka’s most unforgettable summer festivals.
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