A Regional Festival Culture Support Network along the Lower Tone River

Abstract

This paper aims to consider the effects of interregional and interfestival networks on festival culture in an entire region by analyzing the case of festival floats and music used in some festivals along the lower Tone River. A daily interregional bond exists in the subject area; a regional economy focusing on “Kashi” has developed in conjunction with Tone River transportation, and interregional transfers of people and resources are common. Against the background of these transfers along the lower Tone River, “the cultural area of Sawara” has developed, which has commonalities in festival floats and music. Relationships between individuals and these commonalities, which have developed through the daily movement of people, have formed networks between regions or participants in festivals, emerging as a transboundary joining of bearers, activities of festival music groups, and visits to festivals. In the cultural area of Sawara, it is distinctive that people have participated in festivals interregionally since the early development of festival culture. Against the background of shared cultural characteristics, networks among festival participants support each festival today.