Tanabe Matsuri: Kasaboko Floats and Night Archery

On July 24 and 25 every year, Tokei Shrine in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, holds its grand annual festival. With more than 460 years of history, it is the largest festival in the southern Kii region. Eight tall wheeled floats called kasaboko, six from the old merchant quarters and two from the fishing village of Egawa, parade through the streets led by the Egawa float known as Sumiya. It is counted as one of the three great festivals of Kishu and designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Wakayama Prefecture.

Eight Floats Through the Town

The kasaboko, known locally as okasa, are pulled floats topped with tall ornamental structures. On the morning of the 24th, following the procession of the portable shrine, the floats are lined up and then move off into the streets of Egawa. Festival music carries down the lanes and you can feel the whole town shift into festival time.

One highlight comes in the evening, when the floats perform before the shrine approach and Sumiya makes its run along it. Then, at around nine at night, the floats part company at the old Aizu Bridge, lanterns reflected in the river and a line of light hanging in the humid summer air. The daytime and night-time faces of this festival are completely different.

From a Rite Before Dawn to Archery at Night

The 25th is the main day. At half past four in the morning, well before sunrise, the dawn ceremony begins at Tokei Shrine and the Urayasu no Mai dance is offered in near silence. Visiting at this hour shows you a very different side of the event.

Shortly before noon, at the old Aizu Bridge near the mouth of the Aizu River, messengers are sent seven times from the eastern bank to the Sumiya float on the western bank, meeting only on the eighth approach. A purification with seawater follows. After dark the floats enter the shrine one by one to perform before the main sanctuary, some spun energetically in place. Once every float has finished, the archery rite begins in front of the second torii at around nine: three riders each shoot three times, nine arrows in all, to drive off misfortune.

A Shrine at the Crossroads of the Pilgrim Routes

Records of the Tanabe Matsuri at Tokei Shrine go back to 1605, and the prototype of the present kasaboko is said to have been completed in 1672. The shrine stands where the pilgrimage routes toward the three Kumano shrines converge, in an area tied to the World Heritage site of Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. That merchant quarters and a fishing village each send their own floats mirrors how this port town grew.

Tips for Visiting

Highlights are spread across morning, afternoon and night on both days, so it pays to choose: floats in daylight on the morning of the 24th, lanterns at the old Aizu Bridge on the night of the 24th, ritual intensity at the dawn ceremony or the night archery on the 25th.

Late July in Tanabe is hot and humid and stays warm after dark, so carry water and a towel. The route runs through narrow streets where places to stand still are limited, and families with small children will find the daytime procession easier to manage.

Getting There

Tokei Shrine is a 5 minute walk from Kii-Tanabe Station on the JR Kinokuni Line, or about 10 minutes by car from the Nanki-Tanabe interchange. The shrine car park takes 40 cars for a fee and fills quickly. The municipal Ogigahama car park holds around 400 vehicles, is open 24 hours, and is free for the first hour and then 100 yen per hour. As the station and the festival area are within walking distance, the train is easiest.

Practical Information

• Dates: July 24 (eve festival) and July 25 (main day), every year
• Venue: Tokei Shrine and central Tanabe, 1-1 Toyo, Tanabe, Wakayama 646-0029
• Inquiries: Tokei Shrine, Tel 0739-22-0155
• Access: 5 minutes on foot from Kii-Tanabe Station on the JR Kinokuni Line
• Parking: 40 paid spaces at the shrine; municipal Ogigahama car park has about 400 spaces, free for the first hour then 100 yen per hour
• Cultural status: Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Wakayama Prefecture
• Admission: Free to watch
• Official website: https://www.toukeijinja.or.jp/

* Dates, details and prices are subject to change. Please check the official website before you go.

(Sources: Tokei Shrine official website, Tanabe Tourist Association official website, Tanabe City Tourism Promotion Division)