Kawagoe Festival My First Experience in 2019

The Kawagoe Festival blends tradition, spectacle, and history. This unforgettable experience captures the heart of Japanese culture. When I first attended it in 2019, I wondered why I hadn’t gone sooner. Visually stunning, it’s a dream for photographers and culture enthusiasts. Are you ready to discover the magic for yourself?

Kawagoe Festival history: 1648 to UNESCO

It began in 1648, when Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the Lord of the Kawagoe Domain and a powerful figure in the Tokugawa Shogunate, donated a portable shrine (mikoshi), a lion mask, and drums to the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

At the time, the shrine’s main ritual (Reitaisai) was an event restricted to Shinto priests. Nobutsuna wanted to create a celebration that would unify the townspeople, boost the local economy, and foster a sense of community. His donation provided the necessary religious equipment for public participation.

In 1651, the shrine began holding the Jinkosai, a procession where the deity was paraded through the town to visit the residents. This event was initially supported by ten original neighborhoods. Over time, these neighborhoods began to create their own elaborate displays to accompany the procession, which eventually evolved into the massive wooden floats seen today.

Kawagoe was a vital trading partner for Edo (modern-day Tokyo), linked by the Shingashi River. As Kawagoe’s merchants grew wealthy from this trade, they began to emulate the culture of the capital.

They were particularly inspired by the Tenka Matsuri (The Sanno and Kanda Festivals), which were the Shogun’s official festivals. Kawagoe merchants commissioned the same craftsmen who built the Shogun’s floats to create double-decked floats (dashi) for Kawagoe. While many of the original Edo-style floats were lost in Tokyo due to fires and modernization, Kawagoe preserved them, making the festival a “living museum” of Edo-period culture.

And that is why we have the Kawagoe Festival. It has been going in one form or another since 1648. The event is so important it is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Moving mountains (dashi floats)

There are also some night events, but I didn’t see those in 2019. I only attended the day parade. The major part of that was the dashi (street floats). They differed from the mikoshi I’ve seen many times at the Sanja and Sanno festivals which are smaller and carried upon the shoulders of bearers. Those at Kawagoe were huge, like the ones at the Hachioji Matsuri, up to ten meters high, and ornately decorated.

They looked like mountains moving along the street. Huge crews in happi coats pulled them with thick ropes. With entertainers and musicians onboard, it was an enormous spectacle. No wonder huge crowds go.

I was amazed by how the dashi were controlled. When they stopped, the upper superstructure spun around. Spectators could see what was going on onboard. And when they rounded street corners! Crews pulled with the ropes and crossbars to nudge the wheels in the right direction. They made it look easy.

My Kawagoe Matsuri photography gear

I used my Fujifilm X-T2 camera with the XF 16-55mm F2.8. The lens is a versatile ‘workhorse.’ The 16mm wide-angle can capture the full height of the 10-meter floats in narrow streets, but the 55mm zoom was great for picking out the details of the musicians sitting high up on the dashi.

Crowd control: Essential safety tips for photographers

There is one thing you should be careful of with this festival. It is very crowded. Keep a firm grip on young ones you take! Why? Sometimes, a crush can develop with so many people in a small area.

On top of that, the dashi are simple constructions. They don’t have modern safety devices as cars do (so I’ve observed). Getting them to stop in a short distance is difficult, if not impossible.

So what I want to say is this. It’s easy to lose awareness when photographing these exciting events. To avoid danger to yourself and those around you keep an eye on how close you are to the dashi. It would be most embarrassing if the crowd controllers had to physically move you away from them.

Is the Kawagoe Festival worth it?

The festival’s floats were huge, as was the crowd. It’s a day filled with Japanese traditions, history and color which make it worth seeing. I recommend it and can’t wait to go again. The night events are probably even more amazing. One day, that will happen too! It makes a tremendous one-day trip from Tokyo.

Are you a festival lover? If you are, check out the Koenji Awa Odori, Tokyo’s biggest summer festival.