The early yamakasa in 1854 |
Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a Gion
festival held each year from July 1st through the 15th within the
old Hakata area. There exist many Gion festivals which are
related to the Yasaka Shrine. In most cases, participants
pull their own wheel-equipped Kami-nigiwai (such as Hiki-yama,
Dashi, Yatai, Yamahoko, etc.) in the area
of festival. On the contrary, in Hakata Gion Yamakasa, participants
carry the wheel-free Yamakasa on their shoulders to dedicate to the
Kushida Shrine, and therefore, Hakata Gion Yamakasa
can be considered a unique Gion festival.
| Although there exist various theories regarding
the origins of the Yamakasa Festival, the most prevailing
one is as follows: In the summer of 1241, a plague ran rampant
throughout Hakata, causing many deaths. At that time, Shooichi
Kokushi (Enji Benyen), the founding priest of
Jotenji Temple (currently located in Hakata Ward),
conducted a service to expel the evil spirits causing the plague. |
Kushida Shrine |
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