Kumamoto earthquake halts historic Yatsushiro festival parade
Earthquake-affected residents cannot prepare and organisers face concerns over spectator safety, while an event marking 10 years since the UNESCO inscription has been cancelled.
- The main procession of the historic Yatsushiro Myokensai festival was cancelled due to a major earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture.
- Reasons for the cancellation include residents being unable to prepare, concerns for spectator safety, and physical damage to the Yatsushiro Shrine.
- Earthquake damage at the shrine included a collapsed tower gate and uplifted ground at the procession's departure point.
- A commemorative event celebrating the tenth anniversary of the festival's UNESCO inscription has also been called off.
Many residents affected by the major earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28 have been unable to prepare properly.
Yatsushiro Shrine and festival organisers therefore decided on Thursday to cancel the centrepiece shinko gyoretsu procession at Yatsushiro Myokensai and related events after repeated discussions.
Difficulties ensuring spectator safety also influenced the decision.
Inside the shrine precincts, the earth at the procession’s departure point was pushed upwards, and a tower gate collapsed.
The main building did not sustain serious damage, while the floats kept at a city exhibition facility were unharmed.
Akio Shigaki, 65, a resident who joins the festival almost every year, called it an “annual pleasure since I was a child”.
“We can’t greet the New Year without this festival,” he said.
“Life is hard for everyone now. So it can’t be helped this time.”
Yatsushiro Shrine’s annual autumn festival is normally held in late November in the south-western Japanese city of Yatsushiro.
Known as Yatsushiro Myokensai, it dates from the Edo period (1603–1868) and centres on the shinko gyoretsu.
The procession features about 1,600 people in historical costumes, elaborate kasaboko floats and the iconic giant Kida doll, representing a mythical combination of a turtle and a snake.
Annual crowds number about 150,000.
In 2016, UNESCO included the procession among the Japanese festival events registered as intangible cultural heritage.
A commemorative event planned for the tenth anniversary of the UNESCO inscription has also been called off.
This is the third cancellation of the procession.
The last came in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a heavy-rain disaster in the prefecture.
Crowdfunding is now underway at Yatsushiro Shrine to restore damaged buildings.
Katsuhiko Kobayashi, 42, the chief priest, said: “We want to proceed with the restoration toward next year while considering the role of shrines and festivals in the area.”
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
