Danjiri Matsuri

Danjiri Matsuri are cart festivals that dot the prefecture of Osaka in the country of Japan.

The Danjiri Cart (Danjiri Guruma)

Danjiri are large wooden carts in the shape of a shrine or temple. The carts, often being crafted out of wood, are very ornate, displaying elaborate carvings. Towns that have Danjiri festivals in them have different neighborhoods each with their own guild, and each guild has a respective danjiri cart that they maintain. The cart is kept in storage for most of the year. When the time comes, the danjiri cart is prepared with elaborate flower arrangements, prayer cards, ornaments and religious concecrations. It is believed that spirits or gods reside in the danjiri.

Festival Preparation

Town guild members spend a conciderable amount of time to prepare for the festival. Meetings and concecrations are held at shrines days before the festival. The carts themselves must be readied for pulling, as they are stored partly disassembled in wearhouses. The carts are concecrated for the big event, and they are decorated varyingly. For decorations, flags, prayer cards, fresh flower arrangements and in some cases even lanterns are used. The taiko drum and kane bell used to play the town danjiri rhythm are loaded onto the cart, and the musicians selected to ride the danjiri practice for months in advance. The ages of the selected musicians can vary from older veterans of the festival, to young children as young as 4 or 5 years of age.

The Festival

The days of the festival vary from year to year and from town to town. On the day(s)the festival, members of the town guild pull their danjiri through the streets of the town, wearing their guild happi coat and head-band. The event is accompanied with the commotion of the participants pulling the cart, as they yell their kakegoe or signature shout equating to the English "heave-ho!" Adding to the atmosphere is the danjiri rhythm that is played throughout the cart pulling. The drum and bell rhythm can be heard from street blocks away. Having many guilds, the town danjiri matsuri consists of various danjiri criss-crossing the streets at the same time. The festival usually ends in the danjiri gathering at an appointed place and having a religious ceremony.

Variations

The way in which the festivals are celebrated vary from town to town. The danjiri carts can vary in size and decorative style. Some are large and tall, others are relatively small. In some towns, the danjiri are pulled slowly through the town until they get to their destination. In other towns, the danjiri are pulled as fast as the people can pull it. This results in a difficulty turning the cart at corners, sometimes resulting in the cart falling over and killing somebody. It is said that at least one person dies in the danjiri festival of Kishiwada. The Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri is probably the most famous Danjiri festival, with its fast danjiri and very animated guild leaders that ride up on top of the danjiri, hopping and dancing as the danjiri moves faster and faster. It attracts thousands of spectators every year.