Nakatsu Summer Festival
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Tsuruichi Hanagasa Hoko Festival
891 years of prayer live on.
The Tsuruichi Hanagasa Hoko, an intangible cultural property that conveys the love and legend of a mother and child to the present day.
The Tsuruichi Hanagasa Hoko festival is a historic summer festival in Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture, that has been held since the Heian period and is designated as a prefectural intangible folk cultural property.9Held annually in late August, this festival commemorates the spirits of Otsuru and Ichitaro, a mother and son who sacrificed themselves 0 years ago to complete the Yamakuni River weir, and prays for a bountiful harvest and family safety.
The most distinctive feature is the magnificent procession of numerous flower-decorated floats, each uniquely adorned with different designs for each district, moving through the rice fields accompanied by the sounds of drums and music. The procession covers a distance of 30 to 40 kilometers, earning it the title of "Japan's longest walking festival."
On the second night, the highlight of the festival, a fantastical "river crossing" takes place as the portable shrine, illuminated by lanterns, crosses the Yamakuni River. Fireworks that brilliantly color the night sky and the river surface further heighten the excitement of the festival and deeply captivate the spectators. This festival, in which history and nature are beautifully blended and which is carefully preserved and passed down by the local people, is a special summer tradition that colors Nakatsu..