Travel

Tokyo Summer Festivals (Tomioka Hachimangu Water Festival)

Tomioka Hachimangu, is Fukagawa's greatest shinto shrine, and was established in 1627. The festival, is believed to date back to 1642, and is one of the three greatest festivals of Edo. The Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri is a wet and wild festival, and has been nicknamed the - mizu-kake matsuri - or water-throwing festival. The three-day festival will have several large portable shrines on display. The festival ends on the last day with an all-day parading of 54 portable shrines called mikoshi (12 August 2012). Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri is literally the festival of the Hachiman god in Fukagawa, who is the deity of warriors. The Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri festival is characterized by the traditional chant of - wasshoi! wasshoi! - , which is taken up by the mikoshi bearers as they run through the streets. Every three years (1996, 1999, 2002, 2005 etc.), the full-scale version of the festival, known as Hon-matsuri, is held during five days. The festivities of the Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri include around 30,000 participants, and attract over half a million spectators. Everyone is welcome to join the crowds, and participate in throwing water on the bearers.