[Kuwana] "Ishidori Festival", the Noisiest Festival in Japan!

Ishidori Festival was held in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture for two days from August 5th (Sat) to 6th (Sun). The sight of the bells and drums being beaten and paraded through the town is known as "Noisiest festival in Japan" and "the Weirdest festival in the world."

The 2023 Ishidori Festival was also a rare year with 40 festival float floats, and the visitors were fascinated by the fierce and magnificent festival.

This time, Editorial Team went to the moment when "the Noisiest festival in Japan" started.

What is Japan's Noisiest Festival "Ishidori Festival"?

Ishidori Festival is a summer festival held at Kasuga Shrine in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture. With a total of 43 floats, it is extremely rare to see such a large number of floats gathered together for a single Shinto ritual at a single shrine even in Japan. It is said to be a "noisiest festival in Japan" and "a weirdest festival in the world".

In 2007, it was registered as a Nationally Designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property under the name of the Kuwana Ishidori Festival festival float, and in 2016, along with 33 Yama, Hoko, and Yatai events nationwide, it was registered as a UNESCO Intangible. It was registered as a cultural heritage site.

Ishidori Festival is held every year on the first Sunday of August as the Hongaku festival, and the day before the Shigaku festival.

The sound of the moment when "beating out" is performed all at once is exactly a roaring sound. The lights of the splendid festival float sparkle in the night sky, and the citizens celebrate the beginning of the festival they have been waiting for all year long.

History of Ishidori Festival

Ishidori Festival began about 400 years ago in the early Edo period. Originally, it was one of the Shinto rituals in the Hiyori Festival, the grand festival of Kuwana Shrine, and is said to have been separated in the Horeki era (1750s).

To perform the Hiyori Festival, they went to Machiyagawa in the southern suburbs of Kuwana City and blew a flute while picking stones.

Drums and gongs were struck when carrying stones from the Machiya River to Kuwana Shrine, and along with the development of Kuwana, the festival changed into a townspeople's festival. During the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods festival float evolved into a beautiful and luxurious one.

Some of the floats are over 100 years old, some were carved by sculptors such as Koun Takamura, Washiro and Tomishige Tatekawa and Suiun Ijiri. There is also a gorgeous one with a drawn pattern. Not only is its artistic value highly regarded, but it also reflects the hearts and minds of the people who lived through that era.

The festival float is an important element in telling the history of Ishidori Festival and is worth seeing.

Ishidori Festival Schedule

＜8月5日（Sat.）＞

0:00: Beating Out
Around 18:00: Shigaku

＜8月6日（Sun.）＞

13:00: North Market Lineup
16:30: Float (first car) at Tamachi intersection
18:30: Tosai
22:00: Hikiwakare

*This is the schedule for 2023.

"Beating out" Resounding in the City

From here, I will report on the actual performance of Ishidori Festival.

August 4 (Friday) 21:00 | Arrive at Kasuga Shrine

Arrive at Kuwana Sosha (Kasuga Shrine) around 21:00 on Friday, August 4th. When I arrived, a worship service called "Okattsuan" was being held.

Around 17:00 in the evening, children's "Okattsuan" is also held.

<Access from Kuwana Station>

・By train
From Kuwana Station on the JR Tokai Kansai Main Line, take the Mie Kotsu Bus and get off at the "Honmachi" bus stop (about 5 minutes). From there, it takes about 1 minute on foot.

・On foot
17 minutes on foot from Kuwana Station East Exit

Outside the precincts, each group of participants wearing matching hanten coats sings in a circle.

A hanten is a way to show that you are a person from this town, so one way to enjoy it is to see different designs for each town.

You can feel the joyful atmosphere of the locals who have been waiting impatiently for this day's festival, and just looking at it will lift your spirits.

Festival float are gradually gathering around the shrine, and the moment of the "Beating Out" is steadily approaching.

August 4 (Fri.) 11:30｜Shigaku, Shoko Drum Beating Ceremony

At 11:30, the Shigaku and Shoko Drum Beginning Ceremony will be held, and preparations will be made to wait for the Kagura Taiko. This time is the most quiet time, and it is a sacred moment to feel the divine rituals.

People are starting to gather more and more, waiting impatiently for the moment of ”Beating Out". Many people were seen visiting shrine during this time.

August 5th (Sat) 0:00 | "Beating Out" starts

At midnight, the kagura drums are beaten, and the lanterns waved by the chairman of the Youth League serve as a signal, and the floats and festival float and drums, changing the atmosphere completely. From the solemn atmosphere just before, the sounds of drums and gongs reverberate all at once.

The sight of all the sounds resounding all at once is a masterpiece. With Kasuga Shrine's kagura drums as a signal, the sound spreads from areas near the shrine to areas far away.

Ishidori-bayashi with Addictive Tones

The most distinctive feature of the Kuwana Ishidori Festival is the unique sound of drums and gongs (Ishidori-bayashi). The drums and gongs are beaten to the rhythm of "five beats" and "seven beats," and the way these rhythms are played differs from town to town.

There are about 10 types of Ishidori-bayashi in each area.

One of the fun things about Ishidori Festival is enjoying the differences in the Ishitori-bayashi music that varies from town to town. It is said that the Kuwana children fall asleep listening to this musical accompaniment instead of a lullaby.

Watching the young children cleverly hold drumsticks that are taller than themselves and hit them, I was deeply moved.

I even feel envious of being able to come into contact with such a wonderful festival from a young age.

Gorgeous Festival Float Decorations

One of the highlights of Ishidori Festival is the gorgeous decoration of festival float. This year is also a precious year that all 40 festival float are available for the first time in nine years.

Each festival float is decorated with engravings, decorative metal fittings, makie lacquer. There are old ones from the Edo period, as well as sculptures by Koun Takamura, who was active in the Meiji and Taisho eras.

Festival float with different characteristics are so overwhelmingly beautiful that you will want to take a closer look at each one.

We would like you to check out the “tenmaku” installed on top of the taiko drums. The tent, which is also the face of festival float, faces the front and appears at the moment of highlight, such as the Beating out, the Tosai and the Hikiwakare.

They have a variety of characteristics, such as imaginary creature motifs such as dragons, thunder gods, and phoenixes, as well as animal motifs such as killer whales, horses, and tigers. It seems that there are towns that use different one in Shigaku and Hongaku, so be sure to check out the tents as well.

It goes around the group and ends in about 1 to 2 hours.

On the same day at around 18:00, there will be "Shigaku", and on the 6th, there will be various highlights over the course of two days, including the "Tosai" and "Hikiwakare", the biggest highlight of the festival.

This time, I introduced how Ishidori Festival kicked off. I've heard the name before, but I think there are many people who didn't know it.

By all means, please visit the Ishidori Festival, the strange festival that Kuwana is proud of.

Kuwana Sosha
Address: 46 Honmachi, Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture
http://www.kuwanasousha.org/

Check Out the 2-day-limited Ishidori Festival Gifts!

You can also receive official goods and goshuin stamps for the two days of Ishidori Festival at the shrine office. In particular, the gold goshuin (ink stamp) is a must-see for those who collect goshuin.

You can award it from 0:00 am, so please check it out.

Access, Parking lot, and Traffic Regulation

Due to the expected congestion around the venue, traffic will be restricted. We recommend coming by public transportation.

<Access by public transportation>
・20 minutes walk from JR/Kintetsu/Yoro Railway Kuwana Station (to Kasuga Shrine)

<Access by car>

・About 15 minutes each from the Higashi-Meihan Expressway "Kuwana IC" and "Kuwana-Higashi IC"

<Traffic regulation>
・On Shigaku Day, festival float are in motion at various locations in the city. Please follow the instructions of the police and people involved in the festival with lanterns.