Who sustains a traditional festival?

A case study of the Hakata Gion Yamagasa, Fukuoka, Japan

Abstract

　　　This study investigated how people had managed to sustain an elaborate festival named the Hakata Gion Yamagasa (Yamagasa, for short) that has been conducted in the Hakata district, a part of a large city named Fukuoka, each summer since the thirteenth century. The researchers explored how a traditional cultural ritual such as this festival can be maintained when a geographic area has undergone depopulation. In the Yamagasa, seven floats make a five kilometer race, each of which weighs about one ton and is carried on the shoulders of 26 people who appear each minute from a group of several hundred participants. The festival had traditionally been conducted by residents living in the site called Hakata, but it became difficult to sustain because the population sharply decreased after the 1970s.
　　　In this study, observations and a questionnaire were carried out in one of the seven floats named the Doi float in 2009 to find out which people participated in the festival and where they came from. As a result, we found that only 20% of the participants were residents of the Hakata district while 80% came from the other districts of Fukuoka city and from the outside of the city. Thus the festival has evolved to belong to citizens of Fukuoka city rather than residents of the Hakata district. However, residents in the Hakata district were found to play a central role without which the Yamagasa would not be possible because they have continued to participate in the festival traditions that they have known since their childhood. The festival was acknowledged as an integral part of their lives, a way of maintaining solidarity in a changing world.
　　　At the same time, it was obvious that the festival would not be sustained without participation of those from outside of the Hakata district. These people were found to be attracted by the human relationships and the sense of achievement that could be gained through participating in the festival. More than a few people from the outside had the same important hierarchical positions as people from the inside enjoyed, and shared several roles for carrying the float with residents in the district.
　　　We analyzed when, why and what were the characteristics of people from the outside who started participating in the festival. Most of them were young adults, in their 20 to 30s who started participating several years ago after being encouraged to join either from their acquaintances or by their own volition. We propose that additional exploration should be undertaken to learn how the real taste of the festival can be transmitted to those living outside the district who have not formerly participated, and are interested in taking part and how they can be further attracted to this vibrant and colorful festival.